Scorched Lives
by sabotage99
Summary: A child abuse case leads to one revealation after another all to uncover heinous acts that ruin multiple lives. Warning: Rated M for detailed sexual abuse.
1. Chapter 1

It was another day at the precinct.

"I'm going to need warrants to search the church," said Olivia Benson. "And get computer crimes over to analyze the hotel security camera."

It was late May and the SVU squad had an influx of cases on their hands. They had been working nonstop for days now trying to investigate.

In the late afternoon, a girl who looked about ten and her mother and father walked into the precinct. Amanda Rollins walked up to them.

"How may I help y'all," said Amanda.

"We need to file a report," said the father.

Amanda paused for a second. Then she turned to Sonny Carisi.

"Carisi," she said. "Lets take them into a side room."

They all walked into a side room.

"What is your name?" said Sonny to the girl.

"Mary Rasputin," said the girl in a small voice.

"Okay," he said. "Tell me what happened.

"At my after school program," said Mary. "There's this man who acts really nice to all the kids. He plays dodgeball with us and makes great snacks. And sometimes he takes kids out of the rec center for the afternoon to do fun things."

"What sort of things," said Amanda.

"Well, the other day, he took me out," continued Mary. "Except we didn't do anything fun. We went to his apartment and and…"

Mary's mother began to cry. Mary's father gripped her hand.

"What did he do to you," said Amanda gently. "It's okay, we're here to help you."

Mary took a deep breath. "We watched these videos where these naked people were rubbing each other with their bodies. Some of them looked like children. I told him these looked gross, but he said that I would like them once I hit puberty. And then he told me to take off my clothes."

Mary's mother was trying hard not explode. Her father was breathing angrily.

"What did he do to you after that?" asked Sonny.

"He took pictures of me," said Mary. "And then he started to touch me around my crotch. I told him to stop, but he said I was very sexy and this could be our secret. He then started giving me a massage and ruffling my hair."

"Mary…" said her father. "Who did this to you."

"I can't say," said Mary beginning to cry. "He said he'd kill me if I tell."

"We'll keep you safe," said Sonny. "Just give us a name."

Mary took a deep breath. After a minute, she spoke.

"His name," she said. "Is Matt. Matt Wooten.

"Okay," said Amanda, writing it down. "And what did Matt do to you after that.

"He told me to kiss him," said Mary. "I said I only kiss my parents, but he said that he could be the the first boy I kiss, like a princess. And then he got really persuasive, so I reluctantly kissed him on the cheek. Then he pulled me into a hug and held me for a while. I wanted to get out but he wouldn't let me. Then when he finally let go he told me to go into the kitchen and have some muffins he made for me. I had lost my appetite but I ate one anyway. I could hear him breathing heavily in the living room. I didn't look at what he was doing."

Even Amanda and Sonny felt like they wanted to cry.

"So what did he do to you after?" said Sonny.

"We left and he took me back to the rec center," said Mary. "He told me that this was between us and if I told anyone, he'd kill me or keep me as his sex slave." She began to cry again.

"Mary," said her father. "Thank goodness you told. What he did is not okay and the police are going to make sure he goes to jail for a long time.

"Mary," said Sonny gently. "You said he took other kids out before you. What were their names."

"Let me try to remember," said Mary. They were Tasha, Tom, Lily, Mark, Eric, Mariah, Joni, Danny, Elliot, Terri and Liza," she finished. I think that is it."

"Okay," said Amanda writing them down. "We'll get the attendance list for the rec center and hopefully get a word with some of the other kids.

"Mary," said Sonny. "We just need to talk to your parents for a minute. Go help yourself to a soda or a snack in the fridge."

"Okay," said Mary. "She left the room."

Mary's mom burst into tears. She started talking quickly "She was acting strange the other day and complained she felt sick. She had no fever but she wet the bed, which she never does anymore. I just knew something was up. She loves school and the rec center. So today when she felt sick again, I asked her if anyone made her feel bad. She said no, but I could tell she was lying. I then asked her if that person told her not to tell. She still said nothing happened. So I called my sister Linda who is a psychologist at Yale. She suspected someone might have abused Mary. So I asked Mary, and she finally said yes. I called my husband and we went straight here." She put her head down and continued to sob.

Mary's dad began to cry too. "We need to do what's best for Mary," he said. "She can never go near that place again."

"Yes," said Amanda. "We're going to do some more investigating. But in the meantime, I think it would be best for one of you to take Mary out of the city, just as a precaution. "Mrs. Rasputin, you said your sister works at Yale right.

"Yes," she said.

"Why don't you take Mary to her house and try to get her to make an appointment for Mary," said Amanda. "She's going to need help."

"That's a great idea," said Mary's mom. She turned to her husband. "Aaron, you can stay here with Mary, while I go home to get the car. I'll fill up the tank and take Mary to New Haven."

"Okay Laura," said Mary's dad. They both left the room.

Sonny sighed. "Sometimes this job gets really difficult."

"Yeah," said Amanda. "I hope Mary gets help. That took a lot of courage to tell. Especially when you've never been exposed to that shit before."

A half an hour later, Mary's mom returned.

"Thank you," said Mary's mom as she left with her daughter.

"You're welcome," said Amanda.

After Mary and her parents left, they began to work on the case file.


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: This chapter does contain child rape**

"I got a hit on the suspect," said Olivia. "Matthew Wooten. 22 years old, lives in East Harlem. A burglary in his teens, and jumping a turnstile, but nothing else. He's been working at Mary's rec center in the Upper East Side since September."

"Great," said Fin. "We should go talk to him."

"No," said Amanda. "He would suspect someone told him, and according to Mary, he would kill the kids before his secret came out."

"We should try to talk to another kid on the list," said Sonny. "If they say the same thing as Mary, we can get a warrant for his apartment and arrest him."

"Good," said Olivia. "It's five o' clock now. The program should still be running. Rollins and Carisi go down there and see if you can get a list of the kids who go there. See if they match and maybe try to talk to one of them."

"Great," said Amanda. "Let's go."

Amanda and Sonny drove to the rec center.

"Looks pretty nice," said Sonny as they were walking inside. The center had a huge gym, an art studio, two playgrounds and even a pool.

"Yeah," said Amanda. "I can see why all the rich parents from all over the city send their kids to this place after school."

They walked over to the main desk.

"May I help you," said the woman there.

"NYPD," said Sonny as he and Amanda held up their badges. "We just need the list of kids that attend this place."

"Sure," said the woman cautiously. "What is this for?"

"I think it's best that we do not tell you exactly what," said Amanda. "But I promise you that once this all get straightened out, you'll understand.

"Okay," the woman said. She went and got the attendance list and gave it to the detectives.

Amanda and Sonny looked through the list and were able to match all of the names Mary gave them to kids on the list. They highlighted each of the names.

"Can we talk to any of these kids," asked Sonny, showing the woman the names.

"Not without their parents," said the woman. "But you're in luck. Liza MacGregor's mother just arrived to pick her up. You can talk to them."

"Okay," said Amanda. "Just one thing. Do not mention to Matt Wooten that we were here. And keep an eye on him from now on. We're sorry that we can't give you the reason, but please just trust us.

"Will do," said the woman.

"Thank you," said Amanda. They started to walk out of the center when they saw a woman and a girl that looked around Mary's age walking out.

"Let me check if that's Liza," said Sonny. "Mrs. MacGregor, Liza," Sonny called.

The two turned around.

"We're detectives Rollins and Carisi," said Amanda. "We just need to ask you some questions."

"We're not in any trouble are we," said Mrs. MacGregor nervously.

"Not at all," said Sonny. "It would just be best if you just came to the precinct with us."

Liza looked especially nervous.

"Liza," said Amanda gently. "It's going to be okay. We're just here to help."

Liza let out a small smile at Amanda. Her eyes were exactly the same color as Jesse's. Suddenly Amanda saw a bit of her own daughter in Liza.

Amanda and Sonny drove back to the precinct. Throughout the whole drive Amanda was thinking "What if Jesse gets molested in her life? Would she ever be okay? Would I fail as a parent?"

Back at the precinct Sonny and Amanda sat down with Liza and Mrs. MacGregor. Olivia joined them.

"Why don't I talk to Mrs. MacGregor separately," she said to Sonny and Amanda. "If that's okay with you," she said to her.

"Sure," said Mrs. MacGregor. She and Olivia walked into another room.

"Mrs. MacGregor," said Olivia. "Have you noticed any changes in behavior in Liza?"

"Yes," said Mrs. MacGregor. "This past week, she has barely eaten anything, crying at random moments, flinches if anyone tries to touch her, even if my husband and I try to give her a hug. And last night she wet the bed.

"Mrs. MacGregor, I'm so sorry," said Olivia. "But we believe Liza may have been sexually abused."

"No!" Mrs. MacGregor gasped. She started hyperventilating.

"We got another report from one of the other kids at the rec center and she mentioned that Liza had also been with the person who abused her," said Olivia.

"It all makes sense now," said Mrs. MacGregor starting to cry. "Liza must have gone through a terrible ordeal. And now she's terrified of everything."

Meanwhile in the other room, Amanda and Sonny were talking to Liza.

"Liza," said Amanda. "Is there a man at your rec center named Matt Wooten."

"Yes," said Liza in a small voice.

"Did you go out with him one day?" asked Sonny. "Away from the center?"

Liza took a long pause.

"Liza," Amanda looked softly at her. "Tell us the truth. You're not in any trouble. He cannot hurt you anymore."

"Yes," Liza finally said.

"Where did you go?" asked Amanda.

"To his apartment," said Liza. "He said we were going to do fun activities."

"What did you do with him?" asked Sonny.

"He told me I could never tell anyone," said He said he'd kill me.

"Liza," said Amanda. "No matter how bad it was, you have to tell us. Or else he would be free to do to other kids what he did to you. And remember we will keep you safe."

"Okay," said Liza. "We starting by watching these videos where these naked people were rubbing each other with their bodies. It made me feel scared. He said that's what grown ups do. Then he took my shirt off and began to touch my chest. It felt uncomfortable and I told him to stop, but he said that it would feel good eventually. Then he said we had an extra special treat. He went and got a video camera and placed it near the couch. He took off all of his clothes and made unbutton my pants. Then he turned the camera on and got on top of me…and…and."

Liza started crying. Amanda looked at Sonny. They already knew what was coming.

"He..he stuck his p..penis into me," said Liza through her tears. It hurt so much. I s..started crying b..b..begging him to stop, but he just k..kept laughing and breathing heavily. Then I felt s..something warm entering my body. That's when he got off."

Amanda and Sonny were both trying really hard not to cry. This little girl had just been through something no person should have to go through at only ten.

"W..what happened after," said Sonny, letting out a snuffle.

Liza continued her story breathing heavily. "He made me take a shower. Then he gave me some cookies and said I was really special today, but I felt emotionless at that point. Then he took me back to the rec center."

"Okay Liza," said Amanda letting out a tear. "You were very brave telling us. You can go hang out in the room at the end of the hall. There's also a kitchen across from the room, help yourself to some snacks and sodas."

"Okay," said Liza leaving the room.

After Liza left Amanda began to cry.

"I c..can't believe what I just heard Sonny," said Amanda. "This is probably one of the worst child sex abuse cases I've seen."

"I just wanted to run out the room when she described the rape," said Sonny tearing up.

Then Olivia and Mrs. MacGregor walked in.

"How's my daughter?" said Mrs. MacGregor desperately.

"Mrs. MacGregor, I'm so sorry," said Amanda. "We're afraid Liza was raped."

"NO!" said Mrs. MacGregor. "Not my baby!" She burst into tears.

Olivia was flabbergasted.

"We'll explain the details to you later," whispered Sonny. "I think it's too soon for her to know now."

When Mrs. MacGregor had calmed down a little, Amanda started to explain their next moves.

"We need to go to hospital to get Liza examined," said Amanda. "She needs to be tested for diseases and make sure the rape didn't cause any serious injuries. It's too late to do a rape kit, but if Liza's story holds true, there should be proof that he did it in the apartment. We'll get a warrant for that very soon."

"Okay," Mrs. MacGregor sighed sniffling. "I'll call my husband and tell him to meet us over there. I don't know how to explain this to him."

"I'll come with you," said Amanda. "I'll explain everything to the hospital staff."

"Thank you so much," said Mrs. MacGregor.

"And we'll contact you if any arrests are made," said Olivia.

"Thank you," said Mrs. MacGregor. She and Amanda left.

"Come on Liza," they heard her say. "We just need to go to the hospital. You know what that's like and we'll meet Dad there."

Once they left, Sonny explained the full details of the rape to Olivia. By the end even Olivia was in tears.

"I just can't believe he did this to so many children," she said.

"Neither can I," said Sonny.


	3. Chapter 3

Olivia could hardly sleep that night. The only thing she could think about was Liza, Mary and all the other children who had been assaulted and raped by Matt. She had seen plenty of child abuse cases before, but there was just something about this one. The fact that it was a serial child rapist that hid behind the mask so easily, and that it could happen to any child, even her own.

For a while, she sat by Noah's bed.

"Oh Noah," she whispered. "If this happens to you, I'll protect you till the end."

Amanda had trouble sleeping as well. After several hours at the hospital, explaining the story to the staff and eventually to Liza's parents. She laid Jesse in bed with her for a while staring at the TV for hours.

The next day, Olivia came into the office extremely drowsy.

"Hi Liv," said Fin. "Didn't sleep too well?"

"No," said Olivia sitting down unpacking her stuff. "Thinking about that case from yesterday, kept me up all night."

"Don't blame you," said Fin. "When Ken was young, I worried about everything all the time."

Soon Sonny came in followed by Amanda a few minutes day.

"I barley slept at all last night," said Amanda sipping coffee.

"Did you go through some of the rape details with her parents?" asked Olivia.

"Yeah," said Rollins. "They took it pretty hard, but frankly who wouldn't. But they'll be okay. They're going to stay home today and try to get help from a therapist or psychologist next week."

"That's good," said Sonny. "I filed a warrant request last night for Matt's apartment. We should hopefully get it today."

"Great," said Olivia. She couldn't wait to get this rapist away from children permanently.

The squad worked throughout the day filing other cases and Olivia and Fin went out for a while to question some witnesses to to a bar assault. Mary's mother also called Amanda to tell her that Mary was hanging in there and had an appointment that afternoon. But everyone's mind was on getting that warrant.

As the day drove on and on, the emotions began to heighten. By six o' clock Amanda started to get worried.

"If they don't get the warrant in today we most likely will have to wait until Monday," said Amanda. "By then, for all we know we could have another victim."

"We need to hope," said Sonny. He said a silent prayer.

A few minutes later, the phone rang. Olivia answered it.

"Yes," said she said. She paused. "Great," she said. "We'll come and pick it up." She put the phone down smiling.

"Well," said Amanda.

"We got the warrant!" said Olivia excitedly.

"Yes!" said Amanda taking a sigh of relief.

"Carisi, Rollins, let's go," said Olivia. "I'm coming with you guys."  
"Great," said Sonny. "We need all the help we can get."

They drove down to the warrants office where they picked up the warrant along with several warrant officers. After that, they drove over to Matt's apartment.

"Admit it," said Sonny. "We all can't wait to get this perp."

"I want to stay professional," said Olivia. "But sometimes it's hard to not feel giddy when you take a bad guy off the streets forever."

"We'd better start acting professional now cause we're here," said Amanda.

They pulled up to Matt's apartment building.

"He lives in the fourth floor," said Olivia as they entered the building and began to walk up the stairs.

When they got to the apartment, they were surprised to see an older looking lady standing in the hall.

"Wow, that was quick," she said. "You got here in five minutes."

"Wait, what?" said Amanda.

"I called 911 when I was awoken from my nap because I heard banging and screaming coming from next door," she said. "Then about a minute ago it stopped."

The door was opened a crack. Olivia, Sonny and Amanda looked at each other and, weapons drawn carefully walked into the apartment.

There was no one in the front entrance so they continued to walk into the living room. That's when they saw it.

A short blonde man, they recognized from the identification as Matt, was lying on the floor covered in blood. He was especially bleeding from the head. Above him they saw a dark haired middle aged man holding a baseball bat. The man was breathing heavily.

Olivia's jaw dropped when she saw the man. "E..E..Elliot," she managed to say.

The man looked up. It was Elliot Stabler, Olivia's old partner. When he saw Olivia, his eyes bulged and his mouth started moving, but couldn't form sounds.

Amanda and Sonny looked at her in horror. "You know him?" said Sonny.

Olivia couldn't move.

Amanda took a deep breath. "Drop the bat," she ordered Elliot.

Elliot dropped the bat. Sonny and a warrant officer handcuffed him and escorted him out of the apartment.

Amanda felt Matt's pulse. "Got a pulse, but it's very weak," she said. "Call a bus."

One of the officers started giving Matt CPR.

Olivia still wasn't moving. Everything that was going on seemed like a blur.

"Lieutenant Benson," said one of the warrant officers. "Are you okay?"

When he said that Olivia burst into tears.

"Come on," said Amanda putting her arm around Olivia. "Let's get you out of here."

The two walked out of the apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

"I knew the name Elliot Stabler rang a bell," said Amanda. She and Sonny were back at the precinct looking at Elliot in the questioning room. "His son is Elliot Stabler Jr., one of Matt's victims."

Elliot had his head down on the table. He had barely moved since they got there.

"Did Amanda ever tell you about him?" asked Sonny.

"A little," said Amanda. "But not well enough to remember his name obviously."

Then Amanda's phone rang. She answered it.

"Yes," she said. "Okay, got it we'll upgrade the charges." She hung up. "Matt's dead," said Amanda. "He never had a chance, his brain had practically bled out. He was pronounced dead on arrival."

"I'm not too sad about that," said Sonny.

"Neither am I," said Amanda. "But Olivia probably is. We have to charge Elliot with second degree murder."

"Do you think he's going to lawyer up once we tell him?" said Sonny.

"He's a cop," said Amanda. "So probably."

They went into the room.

"Elliot Stabler," said Sonny. "We just got a call from the hospital. Matt's dead. You're being charged with murder 2."

Elliot looked at them, his eyebrows knit. "I want my attorney," he said.

"Okay then," said Amanda. They left the room.

"Okay," said Sonny. "Let's go tell Olivia he wants his lawyer."

"That won't be necessary," said a voice.

Defense attorney Rita Calhoun walked into the hall followed by Olivia and Kathy Stabler, Elliot's wife.

"Did Elliot call you?" asked Amanda.

"No," said Olivia firmly. "I did."

"Yes," said Rita. "She called me right after you all got back, saying her old partner needed an attorney. And seeing as I straightened everything out with Amaro, she asked if I could defend him. Now let me go talk to him."

Rita and Kathy went into the room to talk to Elliot, while Sonny and Amanda looked at Olivia.

"I called Fin," said Olivia. "He's on his way. He worked with Elliot and I for a long time."

"What is this about?" said Sonny.

"Look," said Olivia. "I don't know how to say this, but Elliot doesn't deserve to go to jail. I was his partner for twelve years, and he is a good family man. He cares about kids more than anything. But his rage got out of control sometimes, especially with pedophiles. One time, he beat up a pedophile that posted a non-sexual picture of his daughter online. And now that his son got abused, I'm not surprised he did what he did. If this happened to Noah, I might be tempted to do the same thing."

Amanda sighed. "I understand Olivia," she said. "I personally don't think he should go to jail either. But the D.A's insisting on it. They don't want vigilante justice to be condoned. They're even bringing in a special prosecutor since he was a former cop."

"Well that's great," said Sonny sarcastically. "That means instead of getting justice for the families, they have to see one of their own go to jail."

Just then a Crime Scene investigator came over.

"We did a full search of the apartment," he said. "Mary and Liza's stories both check out. We found hundreds of pictures of nude children, at least a dozen child porn videos, and a few videos of Matt having sex with children, including Liza and Elliot Jr."

"If the defense shows those videos to the jury, no one will ever convict Elliot," said Olivia matter of factly."

"I hate to admit it, but yeah," said the man.

After he walked away, Olivia began to sulk.

"Why are they trying to persecute him?" said Olivia. "It's just like when William Lewis killed himself and they tried to lock me up for that."

"Except he did actually kill him," said Sonny.

"Whose side are you on?" said Olivia.

Sonny looked taken aback. "Nobody's he said. I only want what's right."

Olivia sighed. "I'm sorry Carisi," she said. "It's just that it's really hard to see your force try to jail someone you know isn't a heinous killer or rapist. And I haven't seen Elliot in so long either and this is not the way I wanted our paths to cross."

"I understand," said Sonny.

"In the meantime," said Amanda. "We should try to get more information on Matt. Then we could maybe get a motive."

"Good idea," said Sonny.

They walked back into the offices and looked at Matt's profile.

"His parents got divorced a year ago," said Olivia. "He used to work at the New York Health and Racquet Club on York Ave. He also has a sister Jennifer."

Just then Fin walked in.

"Liv," he said. "How's Elliot doing?"

"He's talking with his lawyer," said Olivia. "We were just getting more information on Matt."

Fin looked at what they got.

"I think we should go question one of his parents tomorrow, and do the other one after. Since they're divorced, they might try to go against each other," he said. "Then we can get multiple perspectives on Matt."

"Good idea," said Olivia. "How about tomorrow you and Rollins go question Mr. Wooten. Then Carisi and I will go question Mrs. Wooten."

"Sounds good," said Fin.

Then Rita came into the room. "Elliot wants to talk to you and Fin," she said.

Olivia looked puzzled. "He realizes that nothing we say is privileged right?" she said.

"That's what I told him," said Rita. "But he insisted."

"Okay," said Olivia. "Rollins, Carisi," see you back here tomorrow.

"Okay, good night," said Amanda as she and Sonny left.

Amanda and Fin walked into the questioning room.

"Liv, Fin," said Elliot when they got in there.

"Oh El," said Olivia walking up to him. Soon the former partners had their arms tight around each other.

"I'm so sorry," Elliot whispered to Olivia.

"You're going to be okay," whispered Olivia. "I'll make sure of it."

Then Elliot hugged Fin.

"I just wanted to see you two," said Elliot. "I'm so sorry I haven't talked to you guys at all. I wanted to keep my distance from the SVU after the incident with Jenna. But I've really missed you."

"You too," said Olivia tearing up. "I'm so sorry I have to do this but you have to go to the cage tonight. We're arraigning you tomorrow afternoon."

Olivia and Fin walked Elliot to the cage and locked him in there.

After that Olivia packed up her stuff, left the precinct and took a cab home instead of walking.

When Olivia got home, she dropped her stuff and laid her head on the couch pillow and began to cry, trying to comprehend the events of the day.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Amanda, Fin, Sonny and Olivia met up at the precinct. They picked up the information on each of Matt's parents, said a few words and parted ways.

"Matt's dad's name is Dennis Wooten," said Fin. "He lives in Rockaway. That's a bit a hike, so let's get going."

"We'd better," said Amanda. She and Fin got in the car and drove an hour across Queens, to Rockaway.

"Okay we're finally here," said Fin once they reached a condo complex that matched Dennis's address.

They got out of the car, went to Dennis's condo and knocked on the door. Soon a thin grey haired man answered it. He looked surprised to see them.

"How may I help you?" he said.

"Are you Dennis Wooten?" said Fin.

"Yes, that's me," he said.

"We're from the Manhattan Special Victims Unit," said Amanda showing her badge. "We're so sorry about your loss. We just need to ask you a few questions about your son. Can we come in?"

"Sure," Dennis sighed. He led them inside. "I still can't believe what happened to him. I got the call last night and I couldn't sleep at all. We hadn't spoken in nearly a year before this. I'm going down to the morgue today to see him."

"Why didn't you go to the hospital yesterday?" asked Fin.

"Well you see," said Dennis. "My ex-wife and I had a really nasty divorce last year. She made up a lot of stuff about me, like how I was abusive towards her and even told them that I held a gun on her. And the judge sided with her, of course, and she took most of my assets. So when I heard that she was over at the hospital, I decided that I would wait until today to see Matt's body. Did you get the guy that did it?"

"Yes," said Amanda firmly. "He's being arraigned this afternoon."

"Good," said Dennis.

"Dennis we need to ask you something difficult," said Fin. "Did you ever seen Matt act inappropriately around children?

"No," said Dennis. "Why?"

"We can't tell you that right now," said Amanda. "But we really need your help."

"Did Matt ever spend time around any friends or relatives that were children alone?" asked Fin. "Did any of them complain of anything Matt did to them?"

"No!" said Dennis adamantly. "Did Matt get accused of abuse too? Who accused him?"

"Mr. Wooten," said Amanda. "Calm down. We're not trying tarnish his life. We just need this for our investigation."

Dennis took a deep sigh. "Okay," he said.

They continued to ask Dennis questions about Matt's life like whether he had been in any trouble at school, camp and the law or used any substances. Dennis told them that Matt had always been a bit of a troublemaker. In fact, he told them, Matt had stolen a jacket from a store and got community service and probation for it. But according to him, he had never done anything sexual towards anyone or used any illegal drugs.

Then Amanda asked him "Did Matt ever complain of someone abusing him?"

"No," said Dennis after a short pause. "He never told me anything that would indicate anything like that."

"Thank you Mr. Wooten," said Amanda. She and Fin walked out of his condo.

"What did you think?" said Amanda.

"I don't know," said Fin. "Something about him rubbed me the wrong way. Especially when he talked about his ex-wife."

"Yeah," said Amanda. "Let's get back the precinct. Maybe Olivia and Sonny will have something about Mrs. Wooten."

Meanwhile, Olivia and Sonny went to go talk to Matt's mother.

"She lives in an apartment up in Rye," said Sonny.

"Okay," said Olivia. "Let's get out of the city."

They drove out of Manhattan and up I-95 to Rye. They pulled up into a Tudor-style apartment complex and went up to the apartment.

They knocked on the door and a middle aged blonde women answered the door. She looked she had not slept in a while, her hair was all over the place and her eyes were red, like she had been crying.

"Mariel Wooten," said Olivia showing her badge. "We're from the NYPD. We need to talk to you. Can we come in?"

"Sure," she said letting them. "And please call me Mariel Quinlan. I changed my name back after I separated from my husband."

They sat down the kitchen table.

"We're really sorry about what happened," said Sonny.

"Thanks," said Mariel starting to tear up. "I'm still trying to cope."

"Grieving takes many stages," said Olivia. "It will take time. But there is no wrong way to heal as long as you don't endanger yourself."

Mariel gave her a small smile.

"Ms. Quinlan," said Sonny. "Did you ever see Matt act inappropriately around young children?"

"No," said Mariel looking taken aback. "He was great around kids. Did something happen?"

"I'm sorry but we can't tell you right now," said Olivia. "We would if we could. But could you please trust us and answer." Olivia looked into Mariel's eyes. They were bright blue like the summer sky.

"Yes," said Mariel sighing.

"Did any children in your family ever complain about Matt?" asked Sonny

"Never," said Mariel.

"What was Matt's childhood like?" asked Olivia.

"We lived in Rockaway," Mariel began. "Dennis was a construction worker and I worked at bakery. I worked in the afternoon and evening so I took Matt and Jennifer to school and Dennis watched them in the afternoon. Jennifer ended up leaving home at eighteen, severed all ties with us and moved to Florida." She began to tear up. "I miss her so much. She was rebellious and always argued with Dennis. I tried to break them up, but then they would both start yelling at me and it would turn into an all out fight.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Quinlan," said Sonny.

"Matt was a bit rebellious as he got older too," Mariel continued. "His grades were never great and he got into trouble at school sometimes. He even stole a jacket one time and had to do community service. He left home last year and moved to Manhattan after the divorce

"What was your divorce like?" asked Olivia.

"Very brutal," said Mariel tearing up again. "Dennis had always hit me during our marriage, but it was very occasional and he always apologized afterwards. Well after Jennifer left, he hit me more often. Then he would start beating me. It got to a point where the people at the bakery noticed. I even called the police several times, but he made me tell them nothing was wrong or he'd kill me. When we were in divorce court my lawyer and I presented evidence that he had beaten me. The judge sided with us and gave me 65 percent of our total assets. But then that night he came over and..and.."

Mariel began to cry, trying to comprehend the traumatic events.

"Ms. Quinlan," said Olivia gently. "You're safe with us. It's okay."

Mariel began to speak again. "H..He had a gun and said t..that he was going to take us b..b..both out," she quivered. T..Then he started f..f..firing to the left of m..me. I r..ran away and called the police. M..M..Matt witnessed the whole thing."

Mariel continued to cry. When she calmed down a little. Sonny asked her what happened after.

"The judge made a deal," said Mariel. "If I let Dennis plead guilty to disorderly conduct and get a suspended sentence with probation, I would get 80 percent of our assets and a restraining order against him. I took it because I didn't want any more trouble. I used most of the money to buy an apartment, because I've always wanted to live in Rye. I now manage a bakery downtown."

"Mariel," said Olivia. "You did the right thing by leaving him. Now we just need to ask you one more question. Did Matt ever complain of being abused by anyone?"

"He never told me anything," said Mariel.

"Thank you Ms. Quinlan," said Sonny. "Once again, I'm really sorry about your loss. If you need anything just call us."

"Will do," said Mariel.

Olivia and Sonny walked back to car and began to drive back to the city.

"I feel really bad for her," said Olivia. "She's basically lost all of her family. I kind of saw a bit of me inside of her."

"Yeah," said Sonny. "This case is just getting more difficult."

Then Sonny's phone rang. He answered it. "Carisi," he said. Then he paused. "Okay, we'll meet you there." He paused again. "Great." He hung up.

"That was Rollins," he said. "We're meeting her and Fin at Arraignment Court in an hour. Elliot's being arraigned."


	6. Chapter 6

Olivia and Sonny arrived at Arraignment Court. When they got there, they saw Amanda and Fin getting out of their car.

"Hey guys," said Amanda. "What did you hear from Mrs. Wooten?"

"We'll talk about it when we get back," said Olivia as they walked into the courthouse. "And it's Ms. Quinlan, not Wooten. She changed her name back."

"Okay," said Amanda.

"Who is the special prosecutor, they're bringing in anyway?" asked Fin.

"I have the case on phone let me check it," said Sonny. He looked it up. "It's Derek Strauss," he said.

"Oh no, not him," said Olivia. "He tried to bring charges against me for William Lewis's death."

"He's gonna go after Elliot hard," said Amanda. "Be prepared."

They all walked into the court and sat down. They saw Elliot sitting in the front with Rita and Derek Strauss standing on the other side.

"Docket ending 8006, People Vs. Elliot Stabler," said the judge. "Charges one count of murder in the second degree. How does the defendant plead?"

"Not guilty your honor," said Elliot.

"We are pleading extreme emotional disturbance," said Rita. "My client's son was raped by our victim."

"And that makes it okay to kill?" said Strauss.

"If it was your child, would you get that urge?" said Rita.

"Calm down," said the judge. "Since there is evidence to suggest it, I'll allow the defense."

"Your honor, the people request that bail be set at 500,000 dollars," said Strauss. "The defendant is a former detective has been said to use brutality before, and has the means to flee."

"My client is a family man, your honor, with a wife and five children, and killed the victim in the heat of the moment, after he found out that he raped his son," said Rita.

"Ms. Calhoun, vigilante justice is not okay," said the judge. "And the client does have a record in the NYPD. And Mr. Strauss, I think Elliot Stabler's threat to the general population is a bit exaggerated. Therefore, bail is set at 250,000 dollars," she said banging her gavel. "Next case."

As he was led away, Elliot looked at Olivia. He looked desperate.

"We'll get you out," mouthed Olivia.

They all walked out of the courtroom. "The bail could have been higher," said Amanda.

"Yes, but I can't see how we're going to get him out," said Olivia. "I just can't imagine El in jail."

Fin sighed heavily. "This just isn't right."

They all drove back to the precinct in silence. Olivia kept pondering in her head what to do about Elliot.

"Okay," said Sonny once they got back. "What did you get on Dennis."

"He seemed pretty normal generally, but there was something about him that was just off," said Amanda. "He told us that his wife lied about him abusing her so she would get more in the divorce."

"Well that's the opposite of what Mariel told us," said Olivia. "She said her husband beat her later in their marriage and held a gun at her one time. She took a deal with the courts and ended up getting most of their assets."

"We can check that out later with the Queens SVU," said Fin. "Did Mariel say anything about Matt complaining of abuse or acting inappropriately around children."

"No," said Sonny. "What about Dennis."

"Nothing either," said Fin.

"Okay said Olivia. "We need to call Queens SVU and the divorce court and get the records on any police reports and divorce papers involving Dennis and Mariel. We need to see whose stories match up. Also Rollins and Carisi, if any homicide detectives want help on the Stabler case, you need to help them. Fin and I have to recuse ourselves from the investigation."

"Got it," said Amanda.

"Amanda, you and Sonny get the divorce papers," said Olivia. "Fin and I will get the police records."

They split up and Sonny called the Queens divorce court. They told them they would fax the papers to them immediately.

Olivia called the Queens SVU and they told them they would fax any reports involving Dennis and Mariel as well.

An hour later the four detectives were going through the records.

"Look at this," said Fin. "Mariel called the police five times the year before they split up, but then she called them back to tell them she was okay."

"Matches her story," said Sonny. "We also have a bunch of calls from neighbors reporting screaming and violence. And reports from co-workers saying Mariel frequently showed up to work with bruises and even an occasional black eye."

"And here's the report from the shooting," said Olivia. "According to the investigation, the ballistics, and the photos from the scene, it all suggests that Dennis shot in her direction. We also have a record of Matt's account of it. It matches Mariel's perfectly."

"So do the divorce papers," said Amanda. "Mariel got 80% of their combined assets because Dennis caused the marital problems, had a proven history of abuse and threatened her with a gun. According to this, the divorce had already taken a long fight in courts before the incident with the gun."

"I can see why Mariel would want to take that deal," said Olivia. "Her husband had caused her so much pain and this would be a secure way out of it."

"So, Mariel was another victim here," said Fin.

"Yes," said Sonny. "But I wonder if Dennis was abusive towards Matt as well."

"I don't know," said Olivia. "Mariel never reported Dennis being violent towards Matt or his sister. And I don't see any reason for her to lie."

"Right," said Sonny.

"Okay," said Olivia. "I think we had enough for today. Let's go home."

"Great," said Amanda. "See you all on Monday."

Olivia went home and watched TV, while playing with Noah. She was angry that Elliot was in jail and could be there for a while. She wished there was something she could do about it but she didn't have 250,000 dollars.

As she watched the local news, suddenly she saw Elliot's face on the screen.

"And another story tonight, a former NYPD detective was arraigned today for the killing of a man that according to police raped his son," said the reporter. "Elliot Stabler is being held in prison with a 250,000 dollar bond. He is being charged with second degree murder."

"That seems harsh," said another reporter. "Especially when the guy you killed raped your son."

"Yeah," said the reporter. "We spoke to his attorney today take a look."

Then Rita appeared on screen. "My client was driven to kill by a man who raped his son then taunted him about it. Any parent would snap if that happened to them. This is not a dangerous serial killer that needs to be locked away forever."

"The prosecutor declined an interview but did release this statement," said the reporter. "We cannot have people taking the law into their own hands playing judge, jury and executioner. Condoning this would destroy the whole point of our legal system."

The story then changed, but Olivia was smiling. Now that more people knew about Elliot, maybe they would be obliged to help.

"Come on Noah," said Olivia. "Let's go make something special for dinner."

And the two enjoyed a nice homemade pizza.


	7. Chapter 7

On Monday, Olivia walked into the precinct to find Fin there.

"Liv," he said. "Did you hear about all the reactions to Elliot's trial."

"Yes," said Olivia. "Kathy called me last night. She and Elliot Jr. are getting overwhelmed with cards and donations for bail. There is even a Facebook page called Free Elliot Stabler circulating."

"I saw it and look whose been donating," said Fin showing her the list of donors.

"Oh my god, these are from some of the families of Matt's other victims." said Olivia. "And look here. Cragen, Munch, Huang, Novak and Cabot each made a sizable contribution. And wait a second, these are from our former victims!" she said recognizing the names of people she and Stabler had helped throughout the years.

"Stabler's helped a lot of people," said Fin.

"This is just awesome," said Olivia sitting down. "We can't tell Rollins or Carisi about it though since they might need to help with the investigation.

During that morning, the detectives continued to work on filing and getting warrants other cases that had been on their desk as well. Then right after lunch, Olivia got a call.

"That was Warner," she said. "The autopsy on Matt is done. She says there's something she wants us to know. Fin, lets go down to the morgue. Rollins and Carisi stay here."

Fin and Olivia drove down to the morgue where medical examiner Melinda Warner was waiting for them.

"Lieutenant Benson, Sergeant Tutuola, long time no see," said Melinda.

"Nice to see you again Warner," said Fin. "What did you call us down here for?"

"I'm going to show you the autopsy report on Matthew Wooten," she said leading them to his body. "The cause of death was massive hemorrhaging to the brain. I estimate he was hit in the head at least twenty five times based on the impacts. But when I was taking a look at his anus and rectum, I found something unusual."

"What is it?" asked Olivia.

"Anal fissure," said Melinda. "His anus was scarred heavily."

"What do you think was the cause of it?" asked Fin.

"He didn't have any diseases that would cause it," said Melinda. "If he had diarrhea or problems with his stool, the scars would be pretty recent. But from what I'm seeing the scars have been there for a long time."

"What does that mean Warner," said Olivia.

"It means," said Warner. "That either Matthew Wooten had a habit of sticking objects up his ass since he was a young child, or someone has been having anal sex with him for a long time."

"So what you're saying is Matt could have been raped when he was a child," said Fin.

"That would be the best hypothesis," said Melinda.

"Thank you Warner," said Olivia. "We'll take this to the investigation."

"You're welcome," said Melinda. "Oh, and do you how Elliot's doing?"

"He's getting a lot of public support, that's for sure," said Olivia.

"Yeah," said Melinda. "I can't believe what happened either. If you visit him give him my thoughts and prayers."

"Will do," said Olivia. "Goodbye."

Olivia and Fin drove back to the precinct.

"Homicide was here," said Sonny when they got back. "Strauss subpoenaed Elliot's records from the SVU, so we had to go through the files to get all of them and make copies. But they said they probably weren't going to bother us for the next few days."

"Okay," said Olivia. "But we have something really important to tell you guys. The autopsy on Matt revealed anal fissures. Warner believes the cause of it was that Matt had frequent anal sex during his childhood."

"Wait," said Amanda. "So Matt is another victim?"

"I guess," said Fin. "That might explain the motive. The question is by who."

"His father?" said Sonny.

"It would seem like it, but we have absolutely no evidence implicating him," said Amanda.

"Amanda's right," said Olivia. "Not even Mariel said he abused Matt. But…" Olivia paused a moment. "Wait a minute," she said. "Didn't Mariel mention that Dennis was alone with Matt in the afternoons?"

"Yes!" said Sonny remembering it.

"So maybe Dennis could have abused Matt when his mother wasn't home," said Olivia. "Then she would never have known."

"It seems like a good theory," said Fin. "But how are we going to prove it now that our witness is dead?"

"Jennifer," said Sonny. "Matt's older sister. Mariel said she was with them in the afternoons too."

"So maybe she knows something," said Amanda. "We need to talk to her. Where does she live?"

"Mariel said she moved to Florida when she was eighteen," said Olivia. "She's not on speaking terms with the family. But I'll run a background check on her to see where she is now."

Olivia went to the computer and ran her name through a database. She searched for a few minutes.

"Got her," said Olivia. "Jennifer Wooten, 24, lives in Fort Lauderdale, works at the Bliss Spa at the W hotel. No criminal record. Rollins, Carisi, I want you guys to go down there and get a word with her tomorrow."

Amanda and Sonny smiled at each other. Even though it was for work, it still meant going to Florida!

"Go book your flight. And guys," said Olivia. "If you can, get Jennifer to come back with you. I think it would be good for her to reconnect with her mother."

"Sounds good," said Sonny.

"I'll see you back here on Wednesday," said Olivia. She returned to her work.


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning, this chapter contains recounts of child rape**

"How's this?" said Amanda. She and Sonny were looking at flights. "Spirit departs LaGuardia at 6:30 in the morning tomorrow, gets to Fort Lauderdale at 9:25. Departs Fort Lauderdale at 8:20 tomorrow night, gets back to LaGuardia at 11:20. It's non-stop and the cheapest."

"Perfect," said Sonny. "Book it. I'll meet you at the airport at 5:30am tomorrow."

"Great," said Amanda booking the flight. "I'll ask the nanny to come early."

Amanda printed out their boarding passes and she Sonny each took some of the case files with them. After that, they headed home.

Amanda packed a small personal bag containing the files, her computer and the other stuff she carried around in her purse. She knew Spirit charged for carry on bags, so she didn't want to bring a suitcase. And she brought a swimsuit "just in case we have time," she thought.

Sonny packed the same stuff in a bag as well. He also brought his swimsuit.

The next day Amanda and Sonny met at the Spirit check in at the airport.

"Hey Sonny," said Amanda. "Are you tired?"

"Yeah," said Sonny sipping coffee. "I'll get some sleep on the plane."

"Good luck said Amanda. "I've flown Spirit before. There's no recline."

"Oh boy," said Sonny. "No wonder the flights were so cheap."

The two went through security and boarded the plane. Sonny sat on the window and Amanda sat in the middle.

"You were right Amanda," said Sonny looking at the magazine. "They don't even give you free sodas."

The plane took off on time into the morning sky. Sonny soon fell asleep. His head fell onto Amanda's shoulder. Amanda gently pushed his head back onto the window. The rest of the flight was uneventful and they landed in Fort Lauderdale early.

"Ugh," said Sonny as they were walking off the plane. "I feel like I slept on a rock."

Amanda let out a small giggle. "Lets go get a taxi," she said.

They walked to the arrivals area and outside to the taxi stand. They were able to get one quickly.

"The W hotel please," said Amanda when the driver asked them where to go. Thirty minutes later, the cab dropped them off at the hotel. It was right next to the beach.

"This place is fancy," said Sonny as they walked inside the hotel. The lobby was large and seemed to be completely made of marble.

"Yeah," said Amanda. "I can see why all the rich New Yorkers go on vacation down here."

They walked up to the spa desk. "Good morning," said the concierge. "Do you guys want to book a treatment?"

"No," said Sonny showing his badge. "We're from the NYPD. We need to talk to Jennifer Wooten."

The concierge looked surprised. "Jennifer?" she said. "Is she in trouble?"

"Not at all," said Amanda. "We just need her to answer a few questions for our investigation."

"Oh sure," said the concierge. "She should be done with a facial in a few minutes. Can you wait with me?"

"Sure," said Amanda.

"While you're with us," said Sonny. "We just want to ask you, what's Jennifer like around here?"

"Oh everyone loves her," said the concierge. "She only started here a few months ago, but she's probably our hardest worker. Always willing to lend a hand to someone, because she knows so much about spa treatments. That's why I was so surprised when I found out you wanted to talk to her."

"Thanks," said Sonny.

The concierge made a call. "Hi Jennifer," she said. "There are some people who want to talk to you." She paused. "Okay, bye." She hung up. "She's on her way," she said.

A minute later, a young petite woman with shoulder length blonde hair walked to the desk.

"Are you Jennifer?" said Amanda.

"Yes I am," she said.

"We're from the NYPD Special Victims Unit," said Amanda showing her badge. "You're not in any trouble, we just want to talk with you."

"Does this involve my family?" said Jennifer. "If so, I want nothing to do with this."

"Jennifer," said Amanda gently. "It's okay. We won't make you do anything you don't want to. But we really need your help right now."

Jennifer sighed. "Okay," she said.

"Thank you," said Sonny. "Let's go up to a conference room to talk. Then we can have privacy."

They walked up to an empty conference room.

"Jennifer," said Amanda after they sat down. "Have you had any contact with your family for six years?"

"None at all," said Jennifer.

"Then I'm sorry I have to tell you this," said Amanda. "But your brother Matt is dead."

Jennifer gasped. "No!" she said and began to cry. When she calmed down a bit she asked "How did he die?"

"He was beaten to death," said Sonny.

"Who did this to him?" said Jennifer angrily standing up.

"Calm down," said Amanda. "We have the suspect in custody. He's being charged with second degree murder."

"Okay," said Jennifer sitting back down.

"When we performed the autopsy on Matt, we saw evidence that he might have been abused," said Amanda. "Do you know anything about this. Was Matt abused?"

Jennifer started crying again. "I d..don't k..know what to t..tell you," she mumbled. "H..H..He said he'd k..kill me."

"Jennifer," said Amanda gently. "We're going to keep you safe no matter what. But if you tell us, we can put him in prison."

Jennifer paused for a minute trying to calm down. She then took a deep breath and said "Our Dad did it."

Amanda and Sonny looked at each other. Their theory was true.

"Did he abuse you two?" asked Sonny.

"Yes," said Jennifer.

"When did he do it to you?" asked Sonny

"In the afternoons when Mom wasn't home," said Jennifer

"What did he do to you?" asked Amanda.

Jennifer took deep breaths as she struggled to tell the story. "From the time I was young, he took photos of Matt and I naked. He said daddies were supposed to do it to their kids. He also liked to touch our genitals and cuddle with us nude. Then when I was nine, he..he..he began to have sex with me. I hated it and threatened to tell Mom, but he said he would kill me, her and Matt if I told. He kept doing it to me and started doing it to Matt when he was nine. I tried to rebel against him in other ways, but he would yell at me and use rape as punishment. One time he even got me pregnant, but he made me have an abortion before Mom found out."

Jennifer couldn't take it any longer. She began to sob. Amanda put an arm around her.

"Is that why you left home?" said Amanda.

"Yes," said Jennifer. "I came down here because it we went here on like our only big vacation. I loved it here. I severed all my ties with my family because I never wanted my father to get near me again."

"Jennifer," said Amanda almost in tears herself. "You did the right thing by telling us. Have you talked about this with anyone?"

"No," said Jennifer.

"Well," said Sonny gently. "Talking is the first step to healing."

"We also need to tell you something else," said Amanda. "Your parents got divorced a year ago."

"Really?" said Jennifer.

"Yes," said Sonny. "Your father was abusive towards your mother in the years after you left, so she filed for divorce. Then he pulled a gun on her."

"Oh no!" said Jennifer. "This is my fault! If I hadn't left home maybe he wouldn't have hit her!"

Jennifer began to cry again.

"Jennifer," Amanda said gently. "This is not your fault. It's your father's. He's the only one responsible for his abuse. And your mother is okay."

"R..Really," said Jennifer through her tears.

"Yes," said Sonny. "She ended up getting 80% of their assets out of the divorce and a restraining order against him. She lives in Rye now."

Jennifer let out a small smile.

"In fact," said Sonny. "Do you want me to call her? You haven't spoken to her in six years. She really misses you. I think it would help both of you to talk to each other."

Jennifer paused for a minute. "Yes," she finally said.

Sonny dialed her number and waited.


	9. Chapter 9

About a minute later Sonny began to speak. "Mariel Quinlan," he said. "Hi it's Sonny Carisi again." He paused. "Yes we do, but we want you to do something. There's someone here who wants to talk to you." He handed the phone to Jennifer.

"Jennifer," said Amanda. "I don't recommend taking about the abuse right now. Just try to reconnect with your Mom."

"Okay," said Jennifer. She took a deep breath and said "Hi Mom. It's Jennifer."

Amanda and Sonny could hear a gasp then crying. Jennifer began to tear up as well.

"I'm doing okay. I live down in Fort Lauderdale and work at a spa. Are you doing okay?"

Amanda and Sonny could hear more talking.

"I really miss you too Mom," said Jennifer starting to cry. "I'm sorry I haven't contacted you in all these years. Can we talk about that later?"

More talking.

"I'm really devastated about Matt too," said Jennifer. The detectives could hear some more tears and talking.

"Okay Mom," said Jennifer. "I love you."

"Jennifer," said Amanda. "Can you tell your Mom to hold on for a minute. We need to ask you something."

"Sure," said Jennifer. "Mom," she said into the phone. "Can you hold on for a minute? Thanks." She put the phone down.

"Jennifer," said Sonny. "For our investigation, it would be better for you to come up to New York and give us some help. We would make sure your father doesn't come near you and you could stay with your mother."

"When would I leave?" asked Jennifer.

"Tonight with us," said Amanda.

"I'd have to ask the spa, if they can get someone else to replace me," said Jennifer. "But they always have people on call, so that shouldn't be an issue. And I'm not working my other job at the bar this week, so that's okay."

"Great," said Sonny. "Ask your mother if that works."

Jennifer picked back up the phone. "Hi Mom," she said. "Is it okay if I come up to New York for a few days and stay with you."

Amanda and Sonny could hear Mariel say "Yes! Stay as long as you want!"

Jennifer smiled. "Thanks Mom," she said. "I'll see you tonight. I'll text you what time we're getting in. Love you."

Amanda smiled at her. "You did it," she said to Jennifer.

Jennifer walked over and hugged her and Sonny at the same time. "Thank you," she said crying.

Amanda, Sonny and Jennifer held onto each other for a minute. They then broke the group hug.

"We can book you on the same flight we're taking back tonight," said Amanda. Leaves at 8:20 gets back LaGuardia at 11:20."

"Great," said Jennifer. "Let me just go check with the manager first."

They all walked back to the spa desk and saw that the manager was there as well.

"Hi Deana," she said to the manage. "Listen I have a family emergency. I have to get to New York tonight. Is it okay if I take a few days off?"

"That's fine Jennifer," said Deana. "You haven't taken a day off in forever anyway. We can easily get someone to cover for you. Is there anything we can do for you?"

"No, but thank you," said Jennifer. "I'll see you in a few days."

Jennifer, Amanda and Sonny left the hotel.

"My apartment's within walking distance," said Jennifer. They walked a few minutes and soon reached Jennifer's apartment. It was a small one but adequately sized for one person.

Jennifer sat down on the couch and began to tear up again. "I'm sorry," she said. "There's just so much to comprehend."

"That's totally fine," said Amanda. "It's natural to grieve. We'll stay with you for as long as you want."

"Thanks," she said. "But think I'll call some of my friends and see if they can come over. Some of them aren't working during the day today."

Jennifer made a few calls. "My friends Sara and Judi are coming over," she said. "If you guys want to go do something else, feel free. I don't want you guys to stay inside all day."

"Okay," said Sonny. "We'll leave once Sara and Judi get here. We'll come back at around 6 and then leave for the airport."

"Sounds good," said Jennifer.

A few minutes later, Sara and Judi got to the apartment. They both began to comfort and talk with Jennifer. Jennifer was still sad, but felt a little better now that she had friends around. Sonny and Amanda then left the apartment.

"Want to go have lunch someplace?" said Amanda.

"Let's go find someplace by the beach," suggested Sonny.

They walked a few blocks to the beach. The water was light blue, much more beautiful than the beaches in New York. Because it was May, the beach was crowded with tourists.

Amanda and Sonny sat down at a burger place and each ordered the restaurant's special burger.

"This is amazing," said Amanda after she took a bite out of it.

"Definitely," said Sonny. "It's just perfectly well done and all the condiments are in perfect proportion.

After the burgers, Amanda and Sonny still had room in their stomachs, so they ordered milkshakes, which were also delicious. After that, they sat in the restaurant for a while letting their food settle.

"It's still only 1:30," said Amanda. "What do say we hit the beach for a while?"

"Sounds fantastic," said Sonny. "Did you bring your swimsuit?"

"Yes," said Amanda. "Did you?"

"Yep," said Sonny smiling. "Great minds think alike."

Amanda giggled slightly.

They went and changed into their swimsuits, each bought a cheap beach towel and rented a locker to put their stuff in.

"There's a spot over there," said Amanda walking over to a free space and laying her towel down. After they took their shirts off, they headed off to the water.

"Hey," said Sonny getting in the water. "This isn't that cold."

"You're used all the beaches up north," said Amanda getting in herself. "This is normal down here. The one thing I'm scared of though is sharks."

The two spent the next few hours swimming around and diving into the waves with the other tourists. At one point Sonny snuck behind Amanda after they dove into a wave. He swam down and grabbed her legs pretending to be a shark.

"AHHHHHHHH!" yelled Amanda. She looked down and saw Sonny.

"Sonny, you dickens!" yelled Amanda splashing him laughing. When Sonny stood up, Amanda pushed him down again. By that time, both were laughing.

At around five o' clock, Sonny and Amanda got out of the water, happy to have spent their free time at the beach with each other. They washed off, changed and got their stuff out of the locker. After that, they walked back to Jennifer's apartment.

"Hi Jennifer," said Amanda as they walked back into her apartment. "How are you doing?"

"Still feeling sad," said Jennifer. "But I'm kind of excited and nervous to see my mom. I'm all packed."

"Great," said Sonny. "I'll call a taxi."

Sonny called a taxi and it showed up a few minutes later. They all got in and got to the airport in plenty of time for the flight.

"I almost never fly," said Jennifer as they went through security. "What about you guys?"

"Not a lot," said Sonny. "Sometimes we get assignments like today, but they're not very frequent."

They got dinner and boarded the plane. As it has been a long day for all of them, they soon drifted off to sleep despite the lack of recline.

When they landed in New York, Mariel was waiting for them inside the terminal.

"Jennifer!" called Mariel.

"Mom!" yelled Jennifer running up to her and giving her a big hug. Both of them were soon in tears.

Amanda started to tear up as well. "Sonny?" she said looking at him. "Are your crying too?"

"Yeah," said Sonny wiping his eyes. "It's so amazing that a good thing can come out of this terrible situation."

Amanda and Sonny told Mariel and Jennifer to come into the precinct tomorrow for some more questioning. They then thanked them and left.

Amanda and Sonny each took a cab home. When Amanda got home, the first thing she did was hug Jesse, happy to be reunited with her own daughter.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, Amanda and Sonny came into the precinct and saw Olivia and Fin waiting for them.

"How did it go?" asked Olivia.

"Very well," said Sonny. "Jennifer told us everything. She confirmed that her father molested both her and Matt. The things she said he did to them were very similar to what Matt did to the kids," he said with a shudder.

"We also got her to come with us to New York last night," said Amanda. "She's up in Rye with Mariel. They're coming in today."

"That's great," said Olivia.

"Only one problem," said Fin. "Jennifer is 24. The statue's run out so we can't charge Dennis with rape. And Matt's dead, so we can't charge Dennis with his molestation either."

"Fuck," said Olivia. "I hate that god damn statue. And as long as the Catholic Church owns the state senate, it's never going to change."

"That's true," said Amanda. "But Jennifer did say that he took videos and pictures of them nude. If he still has them, that's child pornography."

"Right," said Sonny. "And if the videos show Jennifer being raped, we could also convince a judge to waive the statue."

"It's a long shot, but it's the only hope we have," said Fin.

"Based on Matt's autopsy and Jennifer's statement, we have enough for a search warrant," said Olivia. "I'll put in a request right now."

Olivia went to go file a request while Sonny and Amanda filed their reports from Florida. Shortly thereafter, Mariel and Jennifer showed up.

"Ms. Quinlan, Jennifer good morning," said Olivia. "I'm Lieutenant Benson," she said introducing herself to Jennifer.

"Good morning to you too," said Jennifer.

"Can you two come and sit down with me and Detective Rollins?" said Olivia. "We need to tell you some things."

They all went to a questioning room and sat down.

"Ms. Quinlan, Jennifer," said Olivia. "We have found the motive for Matt's death."

"What is it?" said Mariel.

"He was a child molester," said Olivia.

"No!" said Mariel. "He couldn't have!"

"We're sorry, but based on the evidence we got from homicide, and those who came forward, we know for a fact that he molested several kids who were at the after school program he worked at," said Amanda.

Mariel began to cry and Jennifer just sat there frozen with her mouth hanging open.

"So why was he killed?" Jennifer finally asked.

"The person we believe beat Matt to death was the father of one of the victims," said Amanda. "He came to Matt's apartment and beat him to death with a baseball bat. But that's all we know. The case is still under investigation."

By then Mariel had calmed down. "But why would he molest kids?" she asked.

"We believe we have figured that out as well," said Olivia. "Jennifer would you feel comfortable telling your mom what happened?"

"Mom," said Jennifer turning to Mariel. "When Matt and I were young, Dad would watch us in the afternoons. And he did some bad things to us."

"What did he do?" asked Mariel breathing heavily.

"He m..molested us," said Jennifer beginning to cry. "He t..t..took p..pictures of us nude and assaulted us. And t..then h..h..he began to rape us. And he took videos of it."

"Oh my god!" said Mariel, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I w..wanted to t..t..tell you but he said he'd k..kill us all if we did," said Jennifer continuing to cry.

"Oh…" said Mariel. And then she was in tears too hugging Jennifer. Olivia and Amanda were began to tear up as well.

After a few minutes Olivia finally spoke "We believe that is why Matt became a child molester. Because many people who have experienced long term abuse become abusers themselves. It's a vicious cycle."

"Jennifer," said Amanda. "We have one more question. Where did your Dad keep the videos he took of you and Matt."

"He put some under the floor I remember," said Jennifer. "But he also had some in the basement too. They were disguised as videos for children's shows Matt and I used to watch."

"Oh my goodness," said Mariel. "That's why said he never wanted to get rid of the videos when Matt and Jennifer got too old for them."

"Jennifer, Ms. Quinlan, thank you," said Olivia. "We'll be in contact with you if we make any arrests."

"You're welcome," said Mariel. "Oh and I have one more question for Lieutenant Benson."

"Yes?" said Olivia.

"Was this why you asked me earlier if Matt had troubles with children?" asked Mariel.

Olivia nodded. "Yes," she said somberly.

"Thank you," said Mariel. She and Jennifer left the precinct.

Amanda sighed. "That was so difficult to tell them that," she said.

"Yes," said Olivia. "But now more stuff makes sense to both of them."

"All we need now is to catch Dennis and find those pictures and videos," said Amanda.

The detectives spent the rest of the day working on other cases that had come in and assigning detectives and officers to them. At around five o' clock, Olivia got a call.

"Okay," she said. "We'll be there in a few minutes." She hung up. "We got the warrant," she said.

"Fantastic," said Sonny.

"Rollins, Carisi, Fin, lets go," she said. They all got into a squad car and drove to Queens where they would pick up the warrant.

At the Queens warrant office, they picked up the warrant and then drove to Rockaway with several warrant officers following them.

When they got to Rockaway, Fin and Amanda led the officers to Dennis's condo. They parked and walked up to his door.

Olivia knocked on the door. "NYPD!" she said. "Open up!"

There was no answer.

Olivia knocked again. "I said open up!" she yelled.

Still no answer.

Olivia turned to the rest of the officers. "Can someone kick the door open?"

"I got this," said a warrant officer. He kicked on the door and…

"BAM!" The door opened and the detectives and officers entered the condo.


	11. Chapter 11

When they all got inside the condo, they spread out into different rooms.

"Search everywhere," Olivia ordered. "See if there are any secret cases of videos or photos. Also check to see if the floor opens up anywhere. Jennifer said he hid stuff under the floor."

They all began to look around the apartment. After a few minutes nothing was turning up.

"Do you think Dennis got rid of his videos a while ago?" suggested Amanda.

"Doubt it," said Sonny. "There's no one left for him to abuse, so he has to have something to get off on."

"Wait," said a warrant officer. "Come over here detectives. I think I found something."

They walked to the front hall and saw a large locked cupboard inside a closet. The detectives all looked at each other.

"Open it," ordered Olivia.

One of the warrant officers got a lock picking device and picked the cupboard's lock. The door swung open revealing several stacks of videos. They were all from 90's kids shows.

"What is this?" said a warrant officer. "Why is Dennis Wooten hiding _Blues Clues_ and _Little Bear_ videos in here."

"Because Jennifer told us that he hid child porn videos in their old kids video cases," said Amanda.

"We need all of those videos now," said Olivia.

The warrant officers collected up the videos while the detectives walked back into the living room.

"Guys," said Fin. "We found something else." He led them to Dennis's bedroom.

"We found hundreds of blank dvd's up in Dennis's closet," said Fin. "We think they might have child porn. We also found an address book in his desk, along with hundreds on hand printed records of various sales."

"What was he selling?" asked Sonny fearing the worst.

"They were labeled as J and M and had numbers 0-18 on them," said Fin. "My guess is that is Jennifer and Matt at that age the video or photo was taken. What I'm saying is that Dennis made copies of his perverted actions and sold them."

"So we're dealing with distribution as well as possession," said Olivia. "Okay then."

"We have his computer," said Fin. "So we'll know if he copied those photos onto them."

"Speaking of copies," said Amanda. "Here's a copy machine right here." She pointed to one on the other side of the room.

"If he copied videos, he must have copied photos as well," said Sonny.

"Right," said Fin. "But we haven't found any photos yet."

"Well lets keep searching until we find them," said Olivia.

They kept searching the apartment. They couldn't find anything until Amanda was feeling her hands under the couch, when she felt an unstable floor board.

"Guys," she said. "I think I found something. A floor board under here feels weird."

"Move the couch," said Fin. "Lets check it out."

The warrant officers moved the couch and the floor board was revealed. It was not fully screwed in and the detectives were easily able to remove it.

They found several thin boxes inside it. Carefully Amanda removed the boxes and extracted the photos.

"Oh my god," said Amanda.

The photos showed a young blonde girl. She was naked in all of them. In some of them she wasn't looking at the camera. But in some she was.

"Thats…" said Amanda. She couldn't finish.

"It's Jennifer," said Sonny.

"Collect the photos now," said Olivia briskly. They collected the boxes of photos.

"Well," said Fin. "We have him now."

"Speak of the devil," said an officer. "Look who just got home."

Their heads all turned towards the doorway.

Dennis was standing in the doorway of the apartment with a look of shock on his face. Then he ran.

"I'll get him," said Sonny darting up and running out the door.

"I'll come with you!" called Fin running after him.

Dennis ran out of the condo complex and down the street past house after house with Fin and Sonny sprinting towards him.

"Stop Dennis!" called Fin. But he didn't listen.

They were running and running until…

"CRASH!" Dennis hurled straight into a table.

Sonny and Fin caught up to him and saw that he was covered in lemonade. They also saw two boys standing behind the table laughing at him.

"I guess everyone needs a lemonade break in this hot weather," said Sonny handcuffing Dennis. "Dennis Wooten you're under arrest for possession and distribution of child pornography. You have the right to remain silent."

Sonny continued to read Dennis his rights when a woman came outside. "What happened?" she said.

"He just slammed into the stand!" said one of the boys laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. "It was just like that movie!"

"Yeah," said the other. "And the cops arrested him too," he added.

Fin turned to the woman. "We had a runner that took a hit to your boys' lemonade stand. Also can I buy a glass of that lemonade? It looks so refreshing."

"Sure," said one of the boys. He grabbed another pitcher out of a cooler and poured Fin a cup. "One dollar please," he said.

"You know here's five," said Fin. "Keep the change."

"Wow thanks!" he said.

"You're very welcome," said Fin. Then he went back to where the other officers and detectives were gathered.

"Everyone's here," said Olivia. "Okay lets get back to Manhattan. They finished up the search while you were chasing Dennis. They're coming back with us."

They all drove an hour back to Manhattan. Dennis did not say anything the whole ride.

When they got back to the precinct, Amanda and Sonny went and interrogated him.

"We found videos and pictures in you apartment Mr. Wooten," said Sonny.

"So," said Dennis.

"So," said Sonny. "These pictures were of your children naked. That's a federal crime. You're going to spend the rest of you life in jail."

"So does every parent," said Dennis. "Are one of you parents?"

"Yes," said Amanda suspiciously.

"I bet you have pictures of your kids that don't feature them fully clothed," said Dennis smirking. "Do you?"

That was it for Sonny. He grabbed Dennis by his shoulders and pulled him out of his chair.

"Don't you dare!" he yelled. "What do you think we are!"

"Part of being a good parent is to flatter them, make them feel pretty," said Dennis. "Taking pictures of them and sexually preparing them for adulthood is beneficial for them and the parent. It makes us grow closer."

Enraged, Sonny slammed him against the wall.

"BENEFICIAL!" screamed Sonny. "Beneficial my ass! You're son is dead and your wife and daughter are still suffering all because of you!"

"Sonny, that's enough," said Amanda.

Sonny took a deep breath and let go of Dennis. Dennis sat back down.

"I want my attorney," he said.

Amanda turned to Sonny. "Let's go," she said. They walked out of the interrogation room and back into the office.

"What did you get?" asked Olivia.

"An unapologetic pedophile," said Sonny bitterly. "He said raping and photographing children naked was part of being a good parent." He walked back to his desk.

"Sonny lost his temper in there," said Amanda quietly. "I've never seen him so angry before. He really went to town on him."

Olivia sighed. "That happened with Elliot a lot," she said.

"Speaking of him, homicide wants Sonny and I to interview Elliot's wife and son tomorrow," said Amanda. "So we'll be in Queens again tomorrow morning."

"Okay," said Olivia.

That afternoon, Olivia went to a bar by herself. She ordered a beer and sat down gazing out the window.

"Olivia," said a voice.

Olivia turned around. It was Ed Tucker, her ex-boyfriend.

"Oh hi Ed," she said. "Come and sit down."

He sat down. "I heard about Elliot," he said. "I know this is hard on you."

"Yeah," said Olivia. "This whole case is just taking turn after turn."

"What do you mean?" said Ed.

"Elliot killed someone we were investigating for child abuse," said Olivia. "He abused Elliot's son and Elliot killed him. But then we found out that the father was abusive towards the guy. We arrested him today."

"Strange cases," said Ed taking a sip of his beer. "I can't believe you've done this job so long."

"Frankly," said Olivia. "Neither can I sometimes."

The two continued to talk for a few minutes.

"I've got to go now," said Olivia. "I told the babysitter I'd be back by 6:30."

"Okay," said Ed as they walked towards the door.

"Hey Ed," said Olivia. "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"No," said Ed. "Why?"

"Would you like to come over for dinner, just as friends?" said Olivia.

Ed smiled. "I'd be delighted," he said.

And the two took a cab back to Olivia's apartment together.


	12. Chapter 12

**Note: I know the timing was off in the last chapter, please forgive me. Also this chapter contains recounts of rape.**

The next morning, Amanda and Sonny went out to Queens to talk to Kathy and Elliot Jr.

"This isn't going to be easy," said Sonny.

"At least it's almost over," said Amanda. "We've already got our big fish."

"I hope," said Sonny.

They pulled up to the Stabler's house and knocked on the door. Kathy answered it.

"Hi Mrs. Stabler," said Sonny as he and Amanda showed their badges. "We're from the Manhattan SVU, we just need to ask you and Elliot Jr a few questions."

Kathy sighed. "What is this about?" she said.

"It's about your husband," said Amanda. "We need to know more about him."

"If you're trying to put him in jail, than forget it. I have spousal privilege." said Kathy about to close the door.

"Wait Kathy!" said Sonny. "We were in the precinct the night Elliot was arrested. We work with Olivia Benson and Fin Tutuola. Don't tell anyone this, but we're on your side too. If we know more about him, maybe there is something that can work to his favor in court.

Kathy paused for a moment. Then she opened the door.

"Thank you Kathy," said Amanda. They walked into the house.

"Is Elliot at school today?" asked Amanda.

"No," said Kathy. "I'm keeping him home this week. He's been through so much, he needs a break."

"Great," said Sonny. "I'll go talk to him. Where is he?"

"Upstairs in his room," said Kathy.

Sonny went upstairs while Amanda stayed down with Kathy.

Sonny entered Elliot Jr's room.

"Hi Elliot," said Sonny. "I'm Detective Carisi. I'm a policeman."

Elliot Jr looked at him. "My dad used to be a policeman," he said. "And could you call me Eli?"

"Sure Eli," said Sonny. "Now I just need to ask you a few questions. Did someone named Matt Wooten hurt you?"

"Yes," said Eli.

"And how did he hurt you?" said Sonny.

"A few weeks ago, he took me to his apartment and he showed me videos of nude people," said Eli breathing heavily. "Then he made me take off my clothes, got on top of me and he..he.."

"Okay Eli," said Sonny gently, knowing what happened. "That's enough. Did you tell your Mom or Dad about it."

"Not at first," said Eli. "Matt said that if I told them he would kill me. But then one day after school, my Dad asked me if anyone had hurt me. I said no at first, but he told me that if I was ever in any danger, it was his job to defend me. So I told him everything."

"What did he do when you told him?" asked Sonny.

"When I told him about Matt putting his penis in me, his face went white," said Eli. "Then he started heaving and his fists were clenched up. He then grabbed his keys and phone and left. Mom was out shopping and he told me to tell her he'd be back in a while. Then later that night, I heard my mom crying and she called Mrs. Wilkins next door and she babysat me. The next day Mom told me he was in jail."

"Did your Dad happen to take a baseball bat with him?" asked Sonny.

"No," said Eli. "Only his keys and phone."

"Did he say anything about wanting to hurt Matt?" asked Sonny.

"No," said Eli. "He didn't say anything, but he seemed in a hurry to leave."

"Thank you Eli," said Sonny. "I know you have a lot going on right now, but you'll get through it."

Eli smiled. "Thanks detective," he said.

Sonny smiled and walked back downstairs.

While Sonny was upstairs, Amanda was questioning Kathy.

"That day, did Elliot call you before he went to Matt's apartment?" asked Amanda.

"No," said Kathy. "I came home from shopping to find Eli home alone. He said Elliot went someplace, but didn't tell him where."

"Okay," said Amanda. "Did Elliot ever have anger issues?"

Kathy paused. "Sometimes he had a short temper," she said. "We even separated briefly. But he was never abusive. He just got a little verbal sometimes. He's been better about it lately. He's worked with assault victims, so he would never stoop to the perp's level."

"Did Elliot ever fantasize about killing anyone?" asked Amanda.

Kathy sighed. "He did have to get help one time, because he admitted he fantasized about killing pedophiles," she said. "But he's dealt with many child molesters before and he didn't kill anyone. Until now."

"Thank you Mrs. Stabler," said Amanda. "We wish you and your family the best."

By then Sonny was downstairs.

"Is Eli okay," said Kathy.

"He's hanging in there," said Sonny.

"Yeah," said Kathy. "We're going to start seeing a psychologist next week."

"That's good," said Amanda. "Call us if you need anything. Goodbye."

She and Sonny left the house and began to drive back to to Manhattan.

"Do you see what I see?" asked Sonny.

"What do you see?" asked Amanda.

Sonny sighed. "Now I really agree with Benson on this. I see a father who just went to go confront his child's abuser. Then they start to argue and then in a heat of rage, he picks up the nearest weapon and loses control of himself. I don't think that guy belongs in prison."

Amanda smiled. "I was thinking the same thing," she said

They stopped briefly at the homicide unit to drop the files off then drove back to the SVU precinct.

"Hey," said Olivia. "How did it go?"

"According to Kathy and Elliot Jr the story matches the account of a father who lost control because someone raped his son," said Sonny. "I don't think Elliot should be punished either."

Olivia smiled. "Okay," she said. "While you guys were gone, we uncovered a lot more in the Dennis Wooten case. During the search, someone found a fake ID with Dennis's face on it. We traced it to a bank account in New Jersey. Turns out Dennis was a lot better off than we thought."

"What do you mean?" said Amanda.

"Dennis had over a quarter of a million dollars in that account," said Olivia. "We believe that was all from selling his child porn videos."

"That makes sense," said Sonny. "If Dennis had that much money in his name, someone would have seen it during the divorce. They would have gotten suspicious."

"And," said Amanda. "He wouldn't have had to give 80 percent of it to Mariel."

"Did you find the people that bought those videos from Dennis?" asked Sonny.

"Some of them," said Olivia. "But Dennis burned most of the receipts already. And he didn't conduct any business over the web. He's smart enough to know that the police can track you down on the computer. But we have his address book, so that should give us some more names."

"Okay," said Amanda.

"In any case," said Olivia. "This afternoon, we're going to try to convince the judge to waive the statue since there was videotaped evidence. The hearing is at three."

"Great," said Sonny. "Let's all go down there later."


	13. Chapter 13

Later that day, Olivia, Fin, Amanda and Sonny all went down to the courthouse, where they met ADA Rafael Barba outside.

"Hi Barba," said Olivia. "How's the case looking?"

"It could go either way I guess," said Rafael. "We have videos, photos and various records of sales. But the statue's the statue and it's hard to interpret the law. Because the videos also show Matt being raped, we are charging him with his rape and sex abuse as well."

They all entered the courtroom and sat down. Dennis sat in the front with his attorney.

"Docket ending 6253, Preliminary hearing for People Vs. Dennis Wooten," said the judge. "Charges would include two counts of rape in the first degree and two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree. However the statue of limitations has apparently ran out but the State is arguing otherwise. Please make your case."

"Your honor," said Rafael. "The statue of limitations was designed for rape cases that are based solely on memory. The he-said she-said ones. But this one is not. There is concrete evidence that Dennis Wooten raped his children. How concrete? He videotaped him forcibly having sex with them. Prosecution exhibits A and B; home videos of Dennis Wooten having sex with his two children. Prosecution exhibits C and D, photo albums of Dennis Wooten's children naked found in his house. The State of New York allows an exception for the statue when DNA evidence is present. And this is as good as DNA."

"Wait a minute your honor," said Dennis's attorney. "Was any DNA found on the children?"

"No, councilor," said Rafael.

"Were any of the videos taken within the last five years?"

"No," said Rafael.

"Then there is no evidence to suggest that any rape occurred within the statue of limitations," said the attorney. "No matter how hard the evidence was, none of my client's actions can be prosecuted. His children had years to go to the police. And they chose not to."

"Because your client threatened to kill them!" said Rafael.

"Calm down Mr. Barba," said the judge. "Is there any more evidence you would like to present."

"Yes your honor," said Rafael. "Prosecution exhibit E various receipts showing sales of child pornography videos showing Dennis's children being raped. The sales extend up until one month ago."

"And why is that important?" said the attorney.

"Because," said Rafael. "By selling videos of his children being raped, Dennis therefore never stopped abusing them. And this extends well into the statue."

"Your honor this is outlandish," said the attorney. "My client hasn't had any contact with his daughter in six years, so this cannot apply. And his son is dead so he cannot verify anything either. Under the law, there is no case."

"Okay," said the judge. "I need some time to make my decision. I will call the court back once I do so."

They all filed out of the courtroom.

"Good job Barba," said Fin. "We might have convinced him."

"Nothing's for sure," said Amanda. "There's definitely a reason for him to side with the defense."

"Even so," said Sonny. "He basically admitted to selling child porn. We'll still put him away for life."

"Yes," said Rafael. "But this man deserves to be brought to justice in every way possible. Prolonged sex abuse and rape, selling child porn, bank fraud and essentially causing all of Matt's victims to be raped or abused."

"And," said Olivia. "Leading to the death of Matt. It was a chain reaction all starting Dennis's abuse that caused Elliot to kill Matt."

Rafael smiled. "So are you saying you believe Dennis should be charged with Matt's death instead of Elliot?" he said.

Olivia smiled as well. "Yes," she said.

"Personally, I wish that was the case too," said Rafael. "But that's not the way the law works."

"Yeah," said Olivia. "But you can see that if it wasn't for Dennis, all these terrible things wouldn't have happened. He essentially scorched all of their lives."

There was a moment of silence. Then Amanda and Sonny both gave slight nods.

"Judge is back," said Fin. "Lets go."

They all walked back into the courtroom and took seats.

"After reviewing all of the evidence, I conclude that there is more than enough evidence to go trial," said the judge. "While the evidence is more than five years old and Jennifer Wooten is past the age to file charges, the videotaped evidence I saw of the sex acts can likely prove rape beyond a reasonable doubt. It is as good as DNA. What really pushed this over the edge, though, was the fact that by selling the sex acts, the abuse never really ended. So there is enough probable cause to suggest that Dennis Wooten continued to rape and sexually abuse his children throughout all these years. Therefore, I am waiving the statue and formally charging Dennis Wooten with two counts of rape in the first degree and two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree." He banged his gavel.

Dennis had an emotionless look on his face. He was stone cold as he was led away by the court officers.

"He knows he's done," said Sonny as they were walking out the courtroom. "With all of those videos and photos and the fake bank account. He'll never have a chance with a jury."

"That's true," said Amanda. "I wonder if he and his attorney will try to cut a deal."

"I don't know what deal I can give him that wouldn't involve him spending the rest of his life in jail," said Rafael. "With all these charges piling up."

"It will be very interesting to see," said Fin.

Then Olivia's phone began to ring. She answered it.

"Hello," she said. She paused. "Oh! That's great Rita! Is he coming home today?" She paused again. "Well thanks. Goodbye." She hung up.

"That was Rita," said Olivia. "Elliot made bail. They got enough donations and he's coming back home today."

"Great," said Fin.

"I think I should try to go see him sometime," said Olivia. "I've really missed him all these years."

"Why did he stop talking to you guys in the first place?" asked Sonny.

Olivia sighed. "Elliot had to shoot a sixteen year old girl because she was trying to shoot the people who raped and kill her mother," she said. "The girl, Jenna, ended up dying and while IAB cleared him, Elliot still decided to retire. It's hard to forgive yourself for killing a kid. And because of the trauma, he wanted nothing to do with the SVU anymore."

"That's sad," said Rafael. "He sure has been through a lot."

Olivia nodded.


	14. Chapter 14

A few weeks later, Elliot's trial begun. Olivia, Fin, Amanda and Sonny all showed up early that morning. Amanda and Sonny both had to attend because of the investigation, while Olivia and Fin were there to support Elliot.

As they walked in, Olivia saw several familiar faces.

"Alex! Casey! John!" she said walking over to her old colleagues.

"I knew I would see you here," said Alex Cabot bringing Olivia in for a hug. Alex was now an executive ADA in Manhattan. She hadn't seen any of the SVU in a while.

"Great to see you old partner," said Fin hugging John Munch, who was recently retired from the NYPD.

"How are you doing Casey?" said Olivia.

"Good," said Casey who was now an ADA in Queens. "I told my boss I came here to observe because it's got so much attention. But of course I really wanted to be here for Elliot."

Amanda had worked with Alex and Casey before, so they exchanged handshakes. Olivia then introduced Sonny to Alex, Casey and John. After that, they all went and took seats in the courtroom.

Soon opening statements began. Strauss stated that this had been nothing more than a revenge killing, while Rita stated that the shock and anger that Elliot's child had been molested triggered extreme emotional disturbance and Elliot had not planned to kill Matt.

First to testify for the prosecution was Matt's neighbor Marta.

"What did you you hear coming from Matt's apartment?" asked Strauss.

"I awoke because I heard two men arguing. One of them was screaming at the top of his lungs," said Marta.

"Was this person screaming Matt Wooten?" asked Strauss.

"No," she said. "I had never heard this voice before."

"Could you make out what he was saying?" asked Strauss.

"I couldn't make out the whole thing," she said. "But I did hear something about someone's son being raped."

"Then what happened," asked Strauss.

"I heard a loud crack then a piercing scream," she said. "That was when I called 911. The bangs continued and the screaming stopped. Then there was a minute of silence until the police showed up."

"Thank you," said Strauss. "No further questions."

Rita stepped up to the witness stand.

"Did you hear anything else during the argument besides screaming?" she asked

"Yes," said Marta. "After I heard the part about the son being raped I heard somebody laugh. I could tell by the voice it was not the person that screaming."

"So the person laughing was whoever was not screaming," said Rita. "Therefore after Elliot Stabler accused Matt Wooten of raping his son, Matt laughed at it. That is extreme emotional disturbance to me."

"Objection!" said Strauss. "There's no evidence Matt was the one that laughed."

"Your honor Matt and Elliot were the only two people in that apartment," said Rita. "So if it wasn't Elliot who laughed who else could it possibly be?"

"Overruled," said the judge.

"Thank you," said Rita. "No further questions."

Marta stepped down. After a short break Melinda Warner took the stand.

"Dr. Warner," said Strauss. "How exactly did Matthew Wooten die?"

"He was hit in the head with a baseball bat about least twenty five times," said Melinda. "This caused hemorrhaging in the brain and he bled to death."

"Is the head a sensitive part of the body?" asked Strauss.

"Um… yes," said Melinda, surprised he asked such a simple question.

"So by hitting Matthew Wooten in the head with a damaging object like a baseball bat, does this show intent to kill?" asked Strauss.

"I believe so," said Melinda.

"How many blows would it take to kill someone?" asked Strauss.

"It could take as little as four or five," said Melinda. "But it depends where exactly the blows were directed towards and the strength of the person directing them."

"Therefore was this overkill?" asked Strauss.

"It could have been?" said Melinda

"Thank you," said Strauss. "No further questions."

Rita then stood up and abruptly asked: "Prior to the murder, who owned the murder weapon?"

"Objection!" said Strauss. "Relevance."

"I'm trying to prove intent," said Rita.

The judge paused. "I'll allow it," she said. "But please be clear Ms. Calhoun."

"This baseball bat belonged to Matthew Wooten," said Warner.

"So my client didn't bring the bat with him when he went to go talk to Mr. Wooten," said Rita

"That is correct," said Melinda.

"So he had no plans to kill Matthew Wooten until he admitted and laughed about my client's son being raped putting him in an unstoppable state of disturbance!" said Rita.

"Objection!" said Strauss.

"Withdrawn," said Rita. "Did the murder show an intense amount of rage."

"In my opinion," said Melinda. "Yes."

"Thank you," said Rita. "No further questions."

Melinda stepped down from the stand.

The next people to testify were the homicide detectives. They mostly repeated the same stuff Melinda said about how Elliot had picked up baseball bat that Matt had owned and struck him in the head with it until he was dead. They also presented Elliot's police records to the jury. Rita, however, pointed out that Elliot had only had one violent outburst and that it was against a pedophile that had posted a picture of his daughter online. After that, the prosecution rested and the court was dismissed, as by then it was late in the day.

As they were walking out Olivia asked Alex and Casey "So what's your prediction. I mean your the ADA."

Alex smiled. "Strauss got a lot of the details out but Rita put up a good argument too. Once the defense goes, I think it's very unlikely they'll convict Elliot of murder 2."

"Yeah," said Casey. "But they'll probably go for man 1 or ideally man 2. I mean it's pretty clear what he did."

"Well," said John. "It all depends how the court picked the jury. I mean with the amount of publicity this trial has generated…"

"Oh please John," said Amanda smiling. "I don't think there's a conspiracy this time."

They all laughed. "He's a conspiracy theorist," Olivia told Sonny.

"Anyway," said Alex. "I'll see you all back here tomorrow."

They all said goodbye to each other and parted ways.


	15. Chapter 15

The next day they all returned to the courthouse.

"Do any of you know who the defense will call?" asked Amanda to the group.

"Rita wouldn't tell me," said Olivia. "But I'm not sure if she's going to let Elliot take the stand. He could get angry and that would not sit well with the jury."

They all took their seats in the courtroom and the trial resumed.

"The defense calls Elliot Stabler Jr. to the stand," announced Rita and on her call, Eli climbed into the witness box.

"Mr. Stabler," said Rita addressing him formally. "What did your father ask you on the afternoon of May 26?"

"He asked me if anyone had hurt me or done something to me," said Eli. "When I said no, he told me if someone was hurting me, he would always protect me."

"What did you then say?" said Rita.

"I told him that I had been hurt by Matt Wooten," said Eli.

"What exactly did you say to him?" said Rita.

"I told him that Matt had shown me pictures of nude people touching each other and he made me take my clothes off and he took them off as well. Then he brought a camera over, turned it on and stuck his penis into me. It h..hurt so badly and I felt p..powerless." He started to breathe heavily and tears starting running down his eyes.

"Calm down," said Rita softly. "I'll give you a minute.

A few minutes later, Eli spoke again.

"I told him that was why I was acting scared," said Eli.

"What did your father do after that?" said Rita.

"His jaw just dropped, said Eli. Then he started clenching his teeth and I think his face turned red. Then he grabbed his keys and told me he had something to do. He asked me where Matt lived. I told him where he lived because he had taken me to his house. Then he just left."

"Thank you," said Rita. "No further questions.

Strauss then stepped up to Eli.

"Did you father say that he was going to kill Matt?" he asked.

"No," said Eli.

"Did your father mention that he was going to Matt's house?" said Strauss.

"No," said Eli.

"Did your father even mention Matt at all?" said Strauss.

"No," said Eli.

Strauss paused for a moment. Then he said "Young man you understand that you are under oath. You must tell the truth."

"Yes," said Eli.

"So are you lying to me?" said Strauss.

"I'm not lying!" said Eli loudly.

"Objection!" said Rita. "This is badgering!"

"Agreed," said the judge. "Mr. Strauss please stop questioning the witness's integrity."

"He is a child," said Strauss. "They are never fully credible. His father could have told him to say this stuff."

"Jury will disregard!" said the judge firmly. "Mr. Strauss you know better."

Strauss paused. "No further questions," he said.

After Eli stepped down, the court took a recess. Olivia, Amanda, Sonny, Fin, John, Alex and Casey all met Kathy and Eli.

"You did great Eli," said Olivia.

"But why did he accuse me of lying?" he asked them.

"You did such a good job testifying, the only way he would have anything that would work to his advantage would be if you lied about it," said Casey. "Which of course you didn't and the judge agreed with you."

"Yes," said John. "I think Strauss only hurt himself by accusing you of lying. If I was a juror, I wouldn't want to rule in favor a prosecutor that attacked a kid."

A few minutes later they all headed back to the courtroom.

"The defense calls Elliot Stabler to the stand," said Rita and Elliot rose and walked from the witness table to the witness stand.

The detectives all looked at each other with uncertain expressions.

"Mr. Stabler, how did you feel when your son told you of his ordeal?" asked Rita.

"I felt horrified," said Elliot. "I felt sad and felt extremely angry that something this horrible had happened to my son and he didn't even fully understand it."

"How so?" said Rita.

"I worked with rape victims for twelve years," said Elliot. "I know what pain and trauma they suffer and to see that happen to my own son broke me."

"What did you do then?" said Rita.

"I asked my son where his Matthew Wooten lived and drove to his house. I knocked on his door and he let me in. I then asked him about my son."

"And what did Mr. Wooten say?" said Rita.

"He started laughing," said Elliot. "He told me my son had such a cute face and a sexy body. I was in a rage at that point. I started yelling at him; how dare he say that."

"And then what?" said Rita.

"He said loudly that my son was such a pleasure to have sex with," said Elliot. "And then he said that he and I should have that kind of fun together. And after that…" Elliot suddenly paused.

"Take your time," said Rita.

"Every molecule in my body felt like it exploded," said Elliot. "I saw a baseball bat to my right. I picked it up and the next thing I remember the cops showed up."

"Thank you," said Rita. "Your witness."

Strauss walked up towards Elliot.

"Mr. Stabler," he said. "You were a former policeman right?"

"Yes," said Elliot.

"So why didn't you contact them immediately and file a report when your son told you about his abuse?" said Strauss.

"I felt desperate," said Elliot. "My parental instinct took over."

"Or was it because you wanted nothing but revenge?" said Strauss.

"I did what I had to do to protect my son and every other kid at that after school program," said Elliot adamantly. "I knew, as a former policeman, that the investigation could take a long time and by then more children could be raped."

"So the ends justify the means," said Strauss. "Next thing we know we'll vigilantes killing people all over the city.

"I never planned to kill him," said Elliot. "I just wanted him to confess. So we could put him in jail."

"Really," said Strauss. "Then how can you explain the fact that in 2008, you were suspended for beating up someone that had posted pictures of your daughter online."

"He never pressed charges," said Elliot.

"So that makes it okay?" said Strauss.

Elliot paused. "I don't know," he said. "I was so angry I don't remember it."

"If that doesn't show an angry and vengeful murderer I don't know what does," said Strauss.

"Objection!" said Rita.

"Withdrawn," said Strauss. "No further questions.

"Court dismissed," said the judge. "Further deliberations continue tomorrow."

They all filed out of the courtroom.

"It could have gone worse," said Alex. "Elliot was pretty calm up there. Had he snapped at Strauss, it would have solidified his anger argument."

"Yeah," said Sonny. "But Strauss really got to him by bringing up that past act."

Just then Rita walked towards them briskly.

"I'm calling a shrink to testify tomorrow," she said. "I feel like the best way we can get extreme emotional disturbance at this point would be if we can get an expert."

"Okay," said Olivia. "So we have the shrink and then closing arguments tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Rita. "We'll see how it goes."


	16. Chapter 16

_The Next Day_

"The defense calls Dr. Sarah Wilson to the stand," said Rita.

A dark haired woman with glasses stepped into the witness box.

"Dr. Wilson what do you do for a living?" said Rita.

"I am a psychiatrist," she answered.

"Did you examine the defendant Elliot Stabler?" said Rita.

"Yes," said Sarah.

"What did you find?" said Rita.

"When I talked to the defendant he was adamant that he did what he did to protect his son. According to him, he went over to Matthew Wooten's apartment to confront him about his son's revelation that he raped him. When Mr. Wooten laughed about raping his son, the combination of anger and stress over his son's suffering overpowered the defendant and he descended into a rage. He grabbed the first thing he saw and started striking Mr. Wooten. He did not appear to have any self control.

"In your professional opinion, does this indicate extreme emotional disturbance?" said Rita.

"Yes. I am very sure of it." said Sarah.

"Thank you," said Rita. "Your witness."

Strauss stepped up to the witness box.

"Ms. Wilson, you said the defendant Elliot Stabler was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance?" said Strauss.

"Yes," said Sarah.

"But was he mentally incapacitated or aware of his actions?" said Strauss.

"He wasn't incapacitated…" Sarah began.

"So you're saying the defendant knew what he did was wrong didn't you?" said Strauss.

"When people suffer from extreme emotional disturbance, there is usually a part of a person's mind that knows right from wrong," said Sarah. "But it is overpowered by a natural human instinct that can cause any reasonable person to snap. In this case, the instinct to protect his son overpowered the defendant's mind. And I believe that any other parent would have likely acted in a similar way."

"But does this make the killing justifiable?" said Strauss.

"I do believe that Elliot Stabler killed Matthew Wooten," said Sarah. "But based on the facts presented in this trial, I can't say he was responsible for his actions."

"So you're blaming the victim for his own death?" said Strauss.

"Objection!" said Rita.

"Let me rephrase," said Strauss. "Are you saying that based on Matthew Wooten's actions, he was responsible for what happened to him?"

Sarah paused. Finally she said "I am not a judge of what is right or wrong. All I can say is that based on what Elliot Stabler saw, heard and did that day, shows a reasonable person in an extreme emotional state."

Strauss paused. "No further questions," he said.

"The defense rests," said Rita.

"Closing arguments may now be read," said the judge.

Rita stepped up. "Ladies and gentleman of the jury," she said. "The facts and evidence of this case simply do not indicate second degree murder. Rather they indicate a father who cared about his son more than anything and wanted to protect him and many others from being sexually assaulted or raped. I ask you to overlook the immediate brutality of the case and ask yourselves if that was your child, your spouse, your sibling, your friend, your parents or anyone you care deeply about that was subject to that level of abuse and the abuser laughed about it right in front of your face. I ask you, would you too be able to control your rage?"

Rita stepped down and Strauss stepped up.

"The criminal justice system does not solely exist to imprison those that may pose a threat to law abiding citizens," said Strauss. "It also exists so that those who break laws will pay a debt to society. And no matter how much rage Mr. Stabler had that day, murder is murder. He was not fully mentally incapacitated, so he could have stopped himself from killing. And no matter how heinous Mr. Wooten's actions were towards his son, vigilante justice can never be condoned. That would ruin the whole point of the entire system." Strauss then stepped down.

"Jurors please go begin your deliberations," said the judge. "I will notify the court once you have reached a verdict." She banged her gavel.

Olivia, Amanda, Sonny, Fin, Alex, Casey and John all exited the courtroom.

"Barba wants to meet us for lunch," said Olivia. "He says there's something he wants to discuss.

"Okay," said Casey. "So we'll meet back here when the verdict comes in, however long that takes."

"Sounds good," said Fin.

The detectives all drove to a deli where Rafael was waiting for them.

"Good to see you all," he said. "Let's get some food.

They all ordered sandwiches and went to a nearby park to eat.

"So what did you want to talk to us about?" asked Amanda.

"Dennis' lawyer and I have been talking about a plea," said Rafael. "If Dennis pleads to the federal child porn and bank fraud charges, I would drop the sexual assault charges."

"Why would you want to do that?" asked Sonny. "Jennifer, Mariel and Matt all deserve justice."

"If I were try Dennis for Jennifer's sexual abuse, she would have to testify," said Rafael. "This woman has been through enough. I don't want to put her through any more pain. She would be much better off getting professional help."

"But how many years would Dennis get if he plead guilty?" asked Amanda.

"There's no way to know," said Rafael. "I will ask for a lengthy sentence but it really comes down to the judge. And considering the fact that he'd plead guilty they may or may not go easier on him. But I'll pull out all the evidence during the hearing."

"Okay," said Sonny taking a deep breath. "I know you've got this."

Rafael smiled. Then he turned to Olivia. "Olivia," he said. "How are you feeling about Elliot's case."

"I'm so nervous," admitted Olivia. "The jury could very well believe the prosecution and give him 25 to life."

"Knowing this case," said Rafael. "Even if the jury finds him guilty they probably won't ask for the maximum sentence.

"Still," said Fin. "I'd feel a whole lot better if the prosecutor wasn't so convincing."

After spending another half hour in the park, Amanda finally said "We should head back to the courthouse now. There might be an update."

They all drove back to the courthouse and Rafael came with them. As they entered, they saw Casey, John and Alex.

"We were just wondering where you guys were," said John. "The jury just came back with a verdict."

There was a moment of silence. Then Olivia finally took a deep breath and said "Let's go."

And they all walked back into the courtroom.


	17. Chapter 17

There was an eerie silence in the courtroom as Olivia, Fin, Amanda, Sonny, Rafael, Alex, Casey and John walked in and took their seats. As Olivia looked on the other side of the aisle, she saw that Mariel and Jennifer had shown up for the verdict. She also saw Kathy a few rows in front of her.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" asked the judge.

"We have your honor," said the foreman.

Olivia, hyperventilating at this point, gripped Fin and Alex's hands.

"On the charge of murder in the second degree, how do you find the defendant?" asked the judge.

"We find the defendant not guilty," said the foreman.

Olivia relaxed her grip slightly. Alex, Casey, Fin and John let out slight sighs of relief.

"On the charge of manslaughter in the first degree, how do you find the defendant?" asked the judge.

"We find the defendant not guilty," said the foreman.

"On the charge of manslaughter in the second degree, how do you find the defendant?" asked the judge.

"We find the defendant guilty," said the foreman.

Olivia let out a slight expression of shock, buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Alex put an arm around her. "It's okay Olivia," she said. "This is honestly the best they could have given him."

Up in the front of the courtroom, Elliot had a somber expression on his face as he hugged Kathy and then Rita.

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury, the state of New York thanks you for your service," said the judge. "The defendant's bail will be continued pending sentencing." She banged her gavel.

The courtroom filed out. Amanda saw Mariel and Jennifer go away together. They didn't appear to show any emotion.

As they were all leaving, Elliot, Kathy and Rita walked up to them. Olivia hugged Elliot, both of them leaking some tears.

"Did the jurors ever see the videos and pictures Matt took?" asked Sonny.

"No," said Rita. "The judge ruled the tapes inadmissible because Elliot never saw them himself. But I talked to one of the jurors and she told me that many of them personally didn't want to find Elliot guilty, but had to do what they felt was legally right. So I do think Eli's testimony itself was effective enough. Nevertheless, I'll argue for the minimum at sentencing." She then whispered to Sonny. "I do believe this was logically the best verdict we could have gotten."

"Thank you for everything," said Kathy to Rita. She turned to her husband. "It's going to be so hard telling Eli about why you won't be around for the next few years."

"We can always help you guys," said Fin. "Just call us if you need anything."

"Thank you Fin," said Elliot shaking his hand. He looked to the whole group. "And we'll all stay in touch from now on. I'll never shut myself out from the SVU again."

They all let out sad smiles and all brought it in for a group hug. There were some more tears shed.

A few days later, they all convened in court for the sentencing.

"What do the people request for the sentence," the judge asked Strauss.

"Your honor the people request that the defendant be given the maximum 5 to 15 year sentence," said Strauss. "This is due to the brutality of the crime and his refusal to take responsibility for it."

"Your honor, the jury's verdict says otherwise," said Rita. "Had they believed that my client was responsible, they would have found him guilty of murder. Which they didn't. Furthermore, my client has a wife, a young son and no criminal record and was under a state of extreme emotional disturbance when he committed the crime."

"Okay then," said the judge. "I have read several letters from jurors asking for a lenient sentence for Mr. Stabler. One of them reads: _I know what he did was wrong, but I have two children and I can fully understand his state of mind._ Another one reads: _He is not a threat to society. Give him as little jail time as possible. But now I must hear a victim impact statement. Mariel Wooten, you may now read your statement._ "

Mariel rose from hear seat. "Thank you," she said. "And it's Mariel Quinlan, just so you all know."

The judge nodded.

"Elliot Stabler," began Mariel. "If I had half the parenting skills you did, I would have realized years ago that my two children were victims of sexual abuse. But I never did. The abuse my son Matt suffered at the hands my ex husband was what caused him to sexually abuse your son. It is he who should be held mostly responsible for my son's death. But I am not so arrogant to blame this all on him. Had I found out about the abuse, I would have done whatever I could to get my children out of that and stopped all of this from happening. But I didn't and now my son is dead and no prison sentence will ever change that. Mr. Stabler, I forgive you. I am fully aware of how heinous my son's abuse was towards your son, and while it didn't have to end in his death, I fully understand how angry you were at him that day. And had I seen my ex husband abuse my children and laugh about it in front of my face, I would likely gotten the same feeling. And even now, part of me still feels guilty about my son's death and I don't think putting Elliot Stabler in prison would mitigate any of my guilt and grief. So I ask your honor, please do not impose a harsh sentence."

The courtroom was silent as Mariel sat down. Jennifer embraced her with a tight hug. Both of them began to cry soft tears.

On the other side of the courtroom, Olivia also began to weep. So did everyone else, even Fin, Rafael and John.

At the front of the courtroom, Elliot now had tears in his eyes as he looked back at Mariel, who give him a sad smile, and Kathy. Even the judge shed a few tears.

"Very well," she said wiping her eyes with a tissue. "I hereby sentence Elliot Stabler to 1 to 3 years in prison. But I will write in a request for early parole." She banged her gavel.

As the courtroom filed out, Amanda and Sonny went over to Mariel and Jennifer.

"Mariel," said Amanda shedding a tear. "That was… amazing."

Mariel smiled her eyes flooded with tears. "He wasn't a bad man," she said. "I knew it in my heart."

Sonny nodded. "Mariel," he said. "I would suggest you see a psychologist. They can help you work out your guilt and grief over this whole situation. We know a very good one that Olivia's used in the past. We can make an appointment for you."

"That would be great," she said. She turned to Jennifer. "I think both of us need some counseling."

Jennifer nodded.

On the other side of the courtroom, the rest of the squad, Kathy and Rita were talking with Elliot.

"We'll definitely come and visit," said Alex to Elliot. "We'll send you gifts."

"Yes," said John. "And Kathy, please feel free to call any of us if you need any help with Eli."

"Thank you," said Kathy. "It's been so great to have you all here for support."

"El," said Olivia squeezing his hand. "I know this looks hard, but I know you're going to get help in prison and get through this."

"I know I will Liv," said Elliot. "Because you guys will always be there for me when I'm behind bars and will still be there when I get out. That is how I know."

Olivia began to cry again and hugged him. They held onto each other for 30 seconds. Kathy didn't mind it. She knew how much he missed her.

Elliot then said his last goodbyes and was escorted away. After that, they all slowly walked out of the courtroom.


	18. Chapter 18

A few weeks after Elliot's trial, Olivia, Amanda and Sonny went back to court. Only this time, they were going to federal court, to attend Dennis's sentencing.

Outside the courthouse, they met up with Mariel and Jennifer.

"Hey guys," said Amanda. "How are you feeling today?"

"Pretty nervous," said Jennifer. "I haven't seen him since I left for Florida. But at the same time I'm excited to maybe get some closure."

"Me too," said Mariel.

"Well we'll be with you through it all," said Sonny as they walked inside. He then turned to Olivia. "Do you know who the judge is today?

"I'm not sure," said Olivia. "We don't usually do cases in federal court so I'm not as familiar with the the judges here."

They walked into the courtroom and took their seats. They saw Dennis sitting at the front with his attorney. Jennifer gripped her mother's hand.

"It's okay," said Amanda. "He can't hurt you anymore."

Then the judge walked in. Olivia immediately recognized her.

"Oh my god," said Olivia. "It's Liz Donnelly."

"Who?" asked Sonny.

"She was the judge for a bunch of our cases back in the day," said Olivia. "But I haven't seen her for a few years, so I never knew she's now a federal judge. I'll have to say hi to her afterwards."

Liz then began her proceedings. "Dennis Wooten," she said. "I understand you are here to plead guilty today."

"Yes," said Dennis.

Liz then continued by saying: "In exchange for the state of New York to drop it's charges of rape and sexual abuse against you, you plead guilty to the federal charges of possession and distribution of child pornography and bank fraud. Is that clear?"

"Yes," said Dennis.

"You understand that you may not file an appeal on the conditions of the plea," said Liz.

"Yes," said Dennis.

"Very well," said Liz. "Mr. Wooten is there anything you want to say?"

"Yes," said Dennis standing up. "I never meant to hurt my children. I only wanted us both to experience pleasure. I had no idea it would have any traumatic impacts and it would maybe prepare them for adulthood. Toughen them up a bit you know. Even so, I didn't choose to be attracted to children. I was born this way and so was my son. I just couldn't help making videos and taking pictures. Maybe my attraction runs in the family."

Sonny then burst out of his seat, but Amanda grabbed his hand and mouthed "Don't!" pulling him back down. Next to them, Jennifer and Mariel were both beet red, trying so hard not to go and strangle Dennis. How could he say those things?

Liz seemed to agree with them as she said "Please sit sown Mr. Wooten" and Dennis did so. "I'm sorry Mr. Wooten," she continued. "But that argument makes no sense!" she said firmly. "You first talk about molesting your children for their benefit then say it was because you were born a pedophile? And how do you explain knowingly hiding thousands of dollars you made from selling these videos?"

Dennis remained silent.

"Okay then," said Liz. "After reviewing the evidence collected and the defendant's violent criminal history and the fact that the crime has gone on for so many years, I conclude that Dennis Wooten needs to pay for his horrific crimes. And despite the guilty plea, he has shown no remorse for his actions. Mr. Wooten, please rise."

Dennis rose nervously.

"Dennis Wooten," she said. "I hereby sentence you to 36 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography, 36 years for distribution of child pornography. This is 18 years on each count for both of your children. I also sentence you to a further 25 months for bank fraud, 1 month for each of the thousand dollars you hid from the divorce court and your ex wife. This is all to be served consecutively with no parole." She banged her gavel.

Dennis's attorney stood up. "Your honor this is too much," he said.

"There was no specific number of years you agreed on when you accepted the deal," said Liz. "This is my final decision."

Dennis was then led away by court officers. Olivia smiled at Mariel. "He's never getting out," she said. "You're free from him forever."

Meanwhile Amanda and Sonny were comforting Jennifer. "I was so mad at him," said Jennifer. "He was my father. How c..could?" She began to cry. Amanda and Sonny pulled her in for a hug. "You'll never have to see him again," Sonny whispered to her.

When Jennifer calmed down a little, Olivia suggested going out for lunch, which the group agreed on. As they were leaving Liz came up to them.

"Mind if I join you?" she said.

"Sure," they all said.

They went to a nearby Italian restaurant where they all ordered drinks and food.

"So Mariel," said Liz. "I have something else to tell you. 80 percent of the money in Dennis's secret bank account is now yours. That is 200,000 dollars."

"I don't want it," said Mariel. "He made all that money from selling child porn."

"Well the law entitles you to it," said Liz. "But if I were you, I would donate it."

"That's a great idea," said Mariel. "I'll give it to an organization that helps adult survivors of child abuse."

Olivia smiled.

After some delicious Italian food, they left the restaurant, said goodbye to Liz and walked towards the subway station so that Mariel and Jennifer could take to the subway to Grand Central and the Metro North back to Rye.

"Detectives," said Mariel. "Thank you for everything. These past months have been some of the saddest of my life, after losing my son and learning about my ex husband's atrocities. But some wonderful things came out of this. I found my daughter and I think we both got closure out of this. I don't think we would have gotten this good of an outcome if it hadn't been for you guys."

"Yeah," said Jennifer. "I feel a lot stronger now that I helped bring my father to justice. And having my mother back in my life, just made me feel full again. I can't explain it."

Amanda, Sonny and Olivia smiled and gave them hugs goodbye.

"We'll keep in touch," said Jennifer as they were walking down to the subway. "Next time I'm in New York, I'll let you guys know." They soon disappeared.

Amanda, Sonny and Olivia looked at each other in silence. Then Olivia finally said "I don't think out of all the years I've been at SVU has this much gold come out of a case like this. We reunited a family, brought a pedophile who would have otherwise gotten away forever to justice and I reunited with one of my best friends."

Amanda and Sonny smiled. They stood outside for another moment.

"Well," said Sonny. "Let's go back to the precinct and see if we another get big case. Cause that's our job."

"Agreed," said Amanda.

With that, they drove back to the precinct for another day at the 1-6.

 **So that's the end of Scorched Lives. I hope you guys enjoyed it. PLEASE REVIEW! Also I'm thinking about maybe writing a sequel about what happens between Olivia and Elliot after he gets out of jail. Please comment with suggestions. Thanks!**


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